The race clock read one hour seven minutes and 26 seconds when Chris Estwanik came off the hill and approached the finish line at Bernard Park.Threatening to break his own course record of 1:08:25, Estwanik hit the final straight with 12 seconds to go and was cheered every step of the last 100 yards by people who thought they were watching history in the making.As it was those final few strides proved just too much for the American, who finished two agonising seconds short of a new best.Still his time of 1:08:26 was more than enough to seal his fourth consecutive May 24 victory and confirm what everybody already knew, that on his day the best runner in Bermuda is miles better than the opposition, literally.Estwanik blew away the rest of the field yesterday, finishing a whopping four minutes 22 seconds ahead of runner-up Lamont Marshall (1:12:48), and making a mockery of those who had predicted one of the closest races in recent years.“I was agonisingly close (to the record), what's that per mile, 0.08 of a second or something,” said Estwanik. “But that's the way it goes, it was just beautiful conditions out there today.“I felt really good through about 10 (miles), I think I got a little too excited from (miles) 10 to 11, the crowd, the adrenaline, and then just that darn 11 to 12, that's that punishing mile on Church Street. You don't really think about it, we ride our bikes on it every day but it is an incline once your turn off Queen Street.“That's where I lost that time and I saw it at 12, and I said ok ‘if I run 5.45 for the last 1.1 miles I can get it', and I just ran out of steam.“But, my God, it was beautiful conditions, the body held up really well today. I was thrilled, and I just felt so good. Some days you get blessed with a day when everything comes together and you've got to take advantage of it.”It is frightening to think that Estwanik's time might have been faster still, but a delayed start and traffic on the road meant the front runners were held up at the beginning of this year's race.“Everybody faces the same obstacles, whether you're competing for the win or just running to finish,” said Estwanik. “So we're 15 minutes late (to start), it happens, it happens in the Olympics, it happens in every international competition I have been a part of, so it's no different here. As an athlete you have to be prepared for that and be able to adjust.”While Estwanik was cruising to victory, the real battle was happening behind him as Marshall and Sean Trott fought it out for second place and after a slow start, Marshall only pulled ahead in the closing stages.Having broken several Bermuda distance records this year already, Marshall had been expected to challenge Estwanik for the title but in the end never came close.“Congratulations to Chris for winning the title, he outran everyone from start to finish,” said Marshall. “And an incredible race by Sean who kept me honest the whole race. I only overtook him on the last stretch. He is only 21-years-old and he has a bright future ahead of him and his time shows that at such an early age.”Trott (1:12:51) was delighted with his performance but said he had nothing left to give when Marshall finally overtook him at the end.“I'm delighted with my performance, it was my best time and best finish,” he said. “It was a slow start to the race as there was a lot of traffic.I managed to hang in with Chris until the three-mile mark until he broke away.“I was out on my own for quite some time but then Lamont started to come back. It was an exciting finish but I could feel the lactic acid in my leg and Lamont had a little bit more than me to give.”While Marshall and Trott will undoubtedly have their chances to win in the future, Estwanik seems like he might be around for quite a while yet. Having won four in a row, the American now has Kavin Smith's record of nine race wins in sight.“To be honest with you, I'm just so competitive. I'm 31-years-old but when I'm out here I feel like I'm 16 again,” said Estwanik. “As adults I think we can appreciate that. I've got my own kids and I see the magic of life in them. But this is where I can go back to my youth and compete, and not think about work or any other stresses of life, just go out and run and just go as fast as I can from point A to point B.“I'm blessed to be able to do it here in front of a great audience and there's no doubt about it that the adrenaline and the time, and the feeling that you get is what makes this race so special. I will continue to do it as long as my body co-operates with me.”* For more pictures of the race go to http://www.royalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/tngallery?Site=RG&Date=20110524&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=524009999&Ref=PH