Chris Estwanik will be gunning to equal Ed Sherlock and Kavin Smith’s May 24 Derby records of five consecutive wins when he takes to the start line in Somerset on Thursday.The defending champion has won four in a row and is hot favourite to add to his collection and join two of the race legends.Estwanik said he believed race records were not only there to acknowledge past achievements but also to inspire current and future competitors.“I am a believer that records are there and they are meant to be broken. My records back in Ohio are slowly being reeled in by another young gentleman and it’s a bittersweet pill to swallow,” said Estwanik.“I only take it one race at a time, no one knows what will happen next year or in two years, so every time I go out on the road I feel I’m very fortunate to still be doing what I love.“When you look at Kavin who has nine wins, you think you won’t be around that long and he’s an ageless wonder, but I will compete every year and see how long I can stay on top.”Estwanik’s final preparations have included competing in Virginia in the Shamrock Marathon his debut at the 26.2 mile distance. Locally his most recent triumph was in the RMS Construction 20K.This time around he will be hoping to smash his own May 24 record of one hour, eight minutes and 25 seconds.Last year he hit the final straight with 12 seconds to go and was cheered every step of the last 100 yards, finishing an agonisingly one second off his best time.Estwanik’s training has been different this year with the focus more on strength conditioning rather than raw speed, which has been his trademark over the years.Although his friend and rival Lamont Marshall won’t be competing, as he is bidding to qualify for the Olympics, Estwanik is expecting the unexpected, with any of the younger runners potentially challenging him.“The final preparations have been going really well. I have been backing down from the marathon training and the majority of my runs have been at lunch-time in an effort to prepare for the heat and humidity that may come on the day.“It seems to be the same in terms of the heat, but the humidity is always a factor based on what I’ve seen thus far. Again I’m just hoping for a good day and looking forward to challenging myself.“The other competitors will also be looking at me and saying to themselves that they want to be close to me, so it is always an exciting time.“The young bucks are coming out so I’m looking forward to doing battle with these guys and obviously the new faces that come out can stir things up a bit.”He added: “I haven’t been this strong before but my speed isn’t what it was previously, although my track history would suggest I can work around this, so hopefully the training I have put in bodes well for me.“This year Lamont isn’t running but there are younger guys out who can and will, at some point in the near future, if not this year, push me all the way to the finish line.”