O'Sullivan's first mini-marathon

The presence of Sonia O'Sullivan is set to add class to tomorrow's Women's Mini Marathon

The presence of Sonia O'Sullivan is set to add class to tomorrow's Women's Mini Marathon. However, it is unlikely to provide any real competitive element for the Cork woman.

While O'Sullivan will use the 10km distance as a final test run before her first track outing of the year in Helsinki on Thursday, tomorrow's race through the streets of Dublin is almost all about charity - and the excess of 30,000 women who help raise funds for various causes.

The only other entrant who may cause some opposition for O'Sullivan is Kenya's Magdaline Chemjor, who finished second to Catherina McKiernan last year and led the early stages of this year's World Cross Country in Portugal before eventually finishing 25th. For O'Sullivan, who runs the event for the first time, it is still an occasion she is looking forward to.

Michael Johnson produced the second fastest 200 metres in the world this year when he ran 19.91 seconds at the Seville Grand Prix II meeting last night. The time has only been beaten by the world record holder holder himself - the American ran an altitude-assisted 19.71 in South Africa in March.

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan is an Irish Times sports journalist writing on athletics