Andrew Coscoran was all too aware that he was following in the footsteps of Irish legends when he lined up for the Wanamaker Mile in New York last February.

When he was in jail, Hiko Tonosa had one request for the officers who would beat him with large wooden sticks. Hit me anywhere, he’d say, except the legs.

Some heavy-hitters may be absent, but this weekend’s Irish Life Health National Senior Indoor Championships will prove a key staging point for many of Ireland’s best on the path to the Tokyo Olympics.