Sonia destroys rivals and bests her best in record run

SONIA O'SULLIVAN intended yesterday's BUPA Great North Run to be a dress rehearsal for the New York Marathon. And if yesterday's results are anything to go by, her visit to Central Park on November 3 could hold promise beyond belief.

She covered the BUPA half marathon in 67.19 minutes, knocked almost three minutes off her previous best, broke the Irish record by 39 seconds and, for good measure, arrived within 11 seconds of the course record.

But it was not just time or the victory that was significant here: it was the manner in which the Irish woman decimated a field of world class runners. What made this one of the great runs in the history of the event was the fact that the field included the winners of three Olympic gold medals, the first three in this year's world half marathon championship, and the Commonwealth Games champion.