Catherina McKiernan yesterday declared herself well satisfied with her preparations as she approaches possibly the biggest day of her career in Amsterdam next Sunday.

McKiernan will collect a staggering bonus of £350,000 if she breaks the world record of 2hrs 20 mins and 47 seconds, set by Kenya's Tegla Lorupe in Rotterdam earlier this year.

Coupled with appearance money and sponsorship deals, it could mean a pay day of close on £500,000 if she can improve by just under three minutes on her debut marathon in Berlin in September of last year.

"Everything has gone well in training, there are no injury problems and now the task is go out there and run as fast as I can on the day," she said.

She will be helped in her attempt by the inclusion of pacesetters in the race, but with Lorupe concentrating on the New York marathon, the field is scarcely good enough to extend her over the last six miles.

The opposition will be led by the Kenyan, Hellen Kimaiyo, a runner with several road wins to her credit in Holland but even more inexperienced than McKiernan in the singular challenge of the marathon.