Irish duo to tune up in separate events

ATHLETICS: Both Catherina McKiernan and Sonia O'Sullivan will tune up for their head-to-head in the Women's Mini Marathon on the June 2nd Bank Holiday Monday with separate outings on the road racing circuit this weekend.

McKiernan goes in Sunday's Dublin Five-mile Classic, organised by the Sportsworld Running Club and now in its 19th year. The race, with a 2 p.m. start, covers a flat, fast course around Walkinstown and is ideal preparation for the slightly longer 10km mini marathon.

Last Sunday, in her native Cavan town, McKiernan showed the most encouraging sign in several years that her injury problems are behind her. After the victory in the Annalee 10km, albeit in a casual 34 minutes 17 seconds, she spoke positively about her old form slowly returning, and was excited about the mini marathon, which she has won on three previous occasions.

O'Sullivan is returning from a shorter-term lay-off with injury, and on Monday competes in the inaugural Great Manchester Run, which is also 10km. It will be her first race since her uneasy New York Marathon experience last November, but her recent training, which included a month at high-altitude in the US, suggests that she too is ready to regain her finest form.

The field in Manchester, however, boasts several athletes currently at a more advanced stage. World half marathon champion Berhane Adere of Ethiopia will start as favourite, and her fellow countrywoman Derartu Tulu, though a little past her past, is also more race-sharp.

The mini marathon on Monday week marks the first competitive meeting on Irish soil of O'Sullivan and McKiernan, though both are former winners of the event.

Once again the field has attracted more than 30,000 entries but victory will almost certainly be decided between the two.

Also using the Dublin Five-mile Classic as another comeback race is Clare athlete Seamus Power, who missed most of the cross-country season with illness and is rebuilding towards the Dublin marathon next October.

Frequent training partner Peter Mathews of Dundrum is also set to make his return from a longer spell of injury and has also targeted the 26.2-mile distance as his next major goal.

The event has also attracted most of the top names in domestic distance running, including national cross-country champion Martin McCarthy and his Cork team-mate Cathal Lombard.

Athletics Ireland (AAI), meanwhile, has begun the search for a new high performance director, who is to be appointed in association with the Irish Sports Council. The director will have responsibility for implementing the AAI high performance programme for athletes leading to the 2004 Athens Olympics, and is expected to be in place by the end of next month.