Carroll still wants to race at Leopardstown

Mark Carroll retains a desire to compete in the World Cross Country Championships in Leopardstown in March despite his second-place finish in yesterday's Ras Na hEireann, his first cross-country outing in almost two years.

"The indoor season is my main aim right now and obviously the World Championships in Canada this summer is the main aim for the year," said Carroll, who returns to his US base today.

"I honestly don't know where that leaves me for the World Cross Country, but obviously if the indoor season goes well then Leopardstown is just a couple of weeks later. I'm undecided now but I'll make the call on it after the indoor season is out of the way."

The top priority indoors is the World Championships in Lisbon, just a fortnight before Leopardstown, and Carroll will again aim for the 3,000 metres. He struck gold at the distance in the European Championships in Ghent last February.

He would add significant weight to Irish prospects in the shortcourse race at Leopardstown.

"To be honest, I just don't prepare for cross country running. I wasn't coming here with any great expectations. I just wanted a good solid run, and it certainly takes the place of some of my longer training sessions.

He said the winner of yesterday's race, Seamus Power, was "a great runner over the country. When he made his move he was very strong. And I managed to beat some good guys today as well.

"But I was a little bit rusty and I do prefer the harder surface. I just tried to maintain as much rhythm as I could because I really am out of touch with cross country running. And I was also out for a while over Christmas with a head cold."

Power again reiterated his intention of concentrating on the short-course race at the world tests. The 29-year-old is confident that the shorter race would best suit the Irish prospects, especially if Carroll is in the team.

"The preparations from now on will definitely be geared towards the shorter race," Power said.