Bekele's presence adds extra dimension to popular Phoenix Park highlight

ATHLETICS:ROAD RUNNING may still be the poor relation to what happens on the track but this might just be the exception – a feast of potentially historic feats of endurance, or at least displays of them.

Kenenisa Bekele’s appearance in tomorrow’s Spar Great Ireland Run in the Phoenix Park is significant on two counts: a first appearance for the Ethiopian on Irish soil since his breakthrough victories at the World Cross Country in Leopardstown a decade ago, and also a rare outing over 10km on the roads.

Bekele has only twice before run 10km on the road – at La Courneuve in France way back in 2001 (finishing seventh), and in Sicily in Italy in 2003 (which he won). While tomorrow’s race is perhaps the first step towards a third successive Olympic 10,000m title on the track in London later in the summer, there is also some inevitability that at age 29, Bekele will soon make his marathon debut – perhaps as soon as next autumn.

“Maybe after London I will consider it seriously,” Bekele said yesterday of his own marathon ambitions. What is certain is that if and when Bekele makes that marathon debut then there’ll be talk of world records; what is less certain is what exactly the world record will be, because over the next eight days, the 2:03:38 that Kenya’s Patrick Makau set in Berlin last September is certain to be challenged – and the hope is it might help drag along another Irish Olympic qualifier.

Thanks to the extraordinary depth in Kenyan marathon running, the next eight days represents an incredibly exciting showdown to determine who gets to represent them in London: only three men can go, and the six fastest of them are in action.

First up is Moses Mosop in tomorrow’s Rotterdam marathon: with a best of 2:03:06 from Boston last year (though ruled out for record purposes) Mosop will effectively have to break the world record to guarantee his selection, although as far as the Irish interest is concerned, Sean Connolly, Gary Thornton, Gary O’Hanlon and Tomas Frazier will be content with a sub-2:15, the A-standard for London, while sub-2:37 is the target time for Gladys Ganiel, Catriona Jennings, Lizzie Lee, Rosie Ryan and Breege Connolly.

On Monday, Geoffrey Mutai will seek to defend his Boston title, having run 2:03:02 last year (again ruled out for record purposes), while on Sunday week, Emmanuel Mutai, Abel Kirui, and Wilson Kipsang and Makau all run the London marathon seeking equally convincing performances.

There is also the Paris Marathon tomorrow, where Alan O’Shea and Lorraine Manning are also targeting London qualification.

In the meantime Mark Kenneally remains the only Irish men’s marathon qualifier thanks to the 2:13:55 he ran in Amsterdam last October – and Kenneally also races tomorrow’s Great Ireland Run as his first major test since.

The Dubliner finished second in 2006, and seventh in 2009, and whatever about challenging Bekele, is glad to be running pain free again after an Achilles tendon strain in recent weeks.

“I’m certainly preparing for London as if I’m already qualified,” he says, “but obviously we’ll have to wait and see how many more athletes get the time over the next few weeks. But I’m confident I’ll be there, and happy the way my training is building towards it. I’d certainly rather be in the position I am, with the qualifying time in the bag, rather than be trying to still chase it.

“Having said that it would be great if one or two more Irish men can qualifying, and hopefully Sean Connolly can produce a good time in Rotterdam on Sunday.”

Likewise for Linda Byrne, who is also running tomorrow – and although the first Irish women’s marathon qualifier for London, has since been joined by two more: Ava Hutchinson and Maria McCambridge, and a further Irish qualifier means someone is going to miss out.

What has been agreed in advance, and may well need execution, is the Athletics Ireland selection document whereby if more than three athletes attain the A-standard in the one event, selection will be based firstly on quality and consistency of performances the 2011 and 2012; secondly, on statistical data (ranking/performance lists, etc); and thirdly, on history of performances at previous championships.

With over 11,000 already signed up for tomorrow’s race (plus some 1,400 in the junior race), there’s a lot more than just the elite race to contend with: also challenging Bekele will be the leading Spaniards Jesus España, the defending champion, and Ayad Lamdassem, twice European Cross Country Championships silver medalist.

Byrne could well prove the best hope of an Irish win in the women’s race, but will have to contend with Britain’s Hellen Clitheroe and compatriot Charlotte Purdue, the defending champion.

Doubling as the Irish 10km road championships there is also a national title up for grabs: the main race gets under way at 1:15pm, and it’s live on RTÉ Two.

Elsewhere, two of Ireland’s top walkers already qualified for London, Olive Loughnane and Robert Heffernan, are also in action in the 20km international race in Portugal later today, looking to underline their Olympic selection after recent spells of warm-weather training there.