Park run attracts record entry

Athletics Great Ireland RunWith a record entry of almost 7,500 runners, Sunday's Bupa Great Ireland Run in the Phoenix Park has fast become one of the largest races of its kind in the country. Only the Dublin marathon and the women's mini-marathon attract more, suggesting the 10km distance is every bit as appealing, albeit a lot less challenging, than the 26.2-mile distance.

The elite end of Sunday's race has been denied the presence of Sonia O'Sullivan, who is still nursing the hamstring injury that forced her out of last month's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Currently back in Ireland and receiving treatment from sports injury specialist Ger Hartmann in Limerick, O'Sullivan will be a spectator at Sunday's race and has promised to return to competitive action as soon as her body allows.

"I'm just about to start getting into some light training," she said. "Hopefully, if I can get myself back running up to normal levels by the end of April, I should be ready to run some races in the summer."

Ethiopia's Meselech Melkamu is now favourite to win the women's race, fresh from claiming two bronze medals at the World Cross Country Championship in Japan last weekend.

Defending champion Amy Rudolph of the US will also start, with Jolene Byrne, third last year, carrying the Irish hopes.

The race starts at 1pm, with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern doing the honours, with a 90-minute live broadcast also going out on RTÉ 1.

Meanwhile, Keith Kelly has become the first Irish athlete to achieve a qualifying time this season for the European Championships in Gothenburg in August, running 28 minutes 44.30 seconds at the Stanford Invitational in California - well inside the necessary 28:50.0.

Around 25 athletes already have qualifying standards from last year, including World Indoor 60-metre hurdles champion Derval O'Rourke, who is likely to have her first outdoor test over the 100-metre hurdles at the Ostrava Grand Prix meeting in the Czech Republic on May 30th.