Sarah Brown blew away the field to comfortably retain her HSBC Bermuda 10K women’s title on Saturday.

Running in torrential downpours, the American was never in jeopardy of losing her crown and crossed the finish line at the National Sports Centre more than a minute ahead of Heather Kampf.

Brown covered the distance in a time of 35min 24sec, ten seconds slower than her personal best, which she achieved in last year’s race.

“Every time you go out in a race, you try to do your best and it is always nice to come back and defend your title,” said Brown, who was runner-up for the second successive year in the KPMG Bermuda Invitational Elite Women’s Mile on Friday night. “I just tried to run off the field and it was good that I found some people to run with. I found my form and just worked from there.” Brown, who was eleventh overall, coped best in quagmire-like conditions among the women’s field. “We were swimming out there through some of the course with the rainwater,” she said. “It was like running through a mini-creek. But it is a beautiful course, so you cannot complain.”

Her compatriot, Kampf, the two-times Elite Mile champion, finished a distant second and thirteenth overall in 36:41. Bermuda’s Ashley Estwanik crossed the finish line in 37:26 to round off the women’s top three. Estwanik, the “better half” of the husband-and-wife running combination that includes Chris, was sixteenth overall.

“I did my best and in the end I’m pleased with being third overall,” said Estwanik, a multiple Bermuda Day Half Marathon Derby champion. “It is nothing better than running here and having people call your name and cheer you on. It gives you a sense of purpose and the added drive to push on.

“Obviously it was less than ideal for most, but personally the conditions weren’t that bad for running. They [Brown and Kampf] ran a good race, but the main goal for myself was to keep a steady pace and see how I fared.”

Using the weekend as preparation for a busy year, the mother of two believes that the racing thus far has been positive. Estwanik admitted that the Americans’ kick for home was too much for her after keeping pace for the best part of four miles. “After last night’s two races in the Front Street Mile, I knew the pace would be tough, and me going out fast wouldn’t be beneficial,” she said. “Keeping up with the lead pack throughout the whole race lets me know the training is working.

“This year I have a few things I would like to accomplish and all the mileage I’m turning out can only help me as the season hits its peak.” Deon Breary, another former May 24 champion, was the second local and sixth woman across the line in 41:13. “After running last night [Friday], the body was reluctant to get going early on in the race, but once I got going I felt good and went out to perform as well as I could,” Breary said. “I wasn’t too concerned about the placing; the important thing was to go out there, have fun and enjoy the moment. It wasn’t the best conditions, but if it was up to me I would prefer a little bit of rain rather than the heat we run in later in the year, like May 24.”

Jennifer Alen, who was the third local, a mere three seconds behind Breary, was quick to remind how challenging the 10K course is. “People don’t know how difficult the course is,” she said. “The final mile or so is really tough. Just when you think you are almost home, you see Commissioner’s Hill and then again the gradual incline before you hit the stadium.”