Bekele top attraction as Byrne targets home victory
Byrne (Dundrum South Dublin) has been an integral member on the successful Irish women’s cross-country team and last week was the fulcrum of her club’s win at the National Road Relays.
“I was pretty tired after the world cross but I was very happy with my run and the team position,” said Byrne of the road relays last week. Her main challenger in the Phoenix Park will be England’s Gemma Steel, who won last year in 32:06.
The men’s race features Bekele, from Ethiopia, the defending champion and course record-holder (27:49), triple Olympic gold-medallist and world record holder at 5,000 and 10,000 metres.
His two closest challengers will be compatriot Ibrahim Jeilan, world 10,000m champion in 2011, and Australian Collis Birmingham, who finished 8th at the recent World Cross Championships in Poland. Birmingham is coached by Sonia O’Sullivan’s husband, Nic Bideau.
Robert Heffernan is set to toe the line, having just returned from 25 days altitude training in Ifrane, Morocco.
“I’m using it to kickstart my next phase of training,” said Heffernan who will aim to walk the distance in 40 minutes – a time that will see him finish ahead of the majority of the 10,000 runners in the mass participation race.
There is an exciting addition of a men’s one mile road race preceding the main 10k and St Coca’s Paul Robinson is looking to scoop the €1,000 bonus by going under four minutes.
“I will be going after four minutes,” said Robinson who finished second yesterday in the 10,000m at the University Championships in 31:40 for DCU. “It’s going to be tough but I’m going to give it a bash.”
The run gets under way at 13:10 (elite women) and 13:30 (men). It will be preceded by the junior run at 11:30, the men’s mile at 12:20, and the mini run at 12:30.
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