Loughrea race a stepping stone for O'Sullivan

ATHLETICS: Sonia O' Sullivan will use the Loughrea road race in Galway on October 13th as part of her countdown towards her first serious attempt at the marathon. Her participation in the five-mile race - now known as the Great Ireland Run - was confirmed yesterday, though her plans for the marathon have still to be finalised.

It is certain, however, that if O'Sullivan decides to attempt the marathon before the end of the year, then it will be in New York on November 3rd. The Loughrea event will conclude her series of road races over the coming months specifically designed as preparation for the 26.2-mile distance. Though she ran the distance as a training effort in Dublin two years ago, New York would mark her first effort at a big city marathon.

After concluding her track season in London last Friday, O'Sullivan first races on the road will be at the London Five-Mile Challenge this Saturday, then the more competitive Great South Run 10-miles in Portsmouth the following weekend.

A half-marathon, crucial to marathon preparations, will come in the Great North Run in Newcastle on October 6th, the Sunday before she returns home to race in Loughrea.

Yesterday O'Sullivan talked about the special feelings she has for Loughrea, a race she has run twice before - including 1999 when she ran a world best: "It's one of those races with a bit of history," she says, "and a good tradition of runners in there like Sebastian Coe, Brendan Foster and Eamonn Coghlan.

"It's great to be associated with a good race like that, and I'll always remember when I went there in 2000 after the Olympics. It was like a tunnel of people at the start and finish, and if they can recreate that, then I'll want to go back year after year."

Originally founded in 1976, the Galway race was revived four years ago, promoted by Brendan Foster similar to the "Great Run" concepts in England. "It's important for sport and especially athletics that the heroes and stars go down to the grassroots every so often," said Foster, the former double world record holder and current BBC commentator.

"The concept of mass participation events, with elite athletes of the calibre of Sonia O'Sullivan, is growing in Great Britain and across Europe. We want the race to grow and we're committed to it for another three years."

An international element to the event this year comes with a team race with Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. Overall around 1,000 entries are expected.

Geraldine Hendricken, meanwhile, has recovered from her miserable experience at the European Championships earlier this month by clocking the second fastest mile time in the world this year, winning the event at the Liège International Meeting in Belgium. Challenged by Russia's Olga Komyagina in the final lap, Hendricken held on for a superb win in four minutes 25.44 seconds.