Jones back in the running with marathon heroes

STEVE JONES enjoys celebrity status now those days and he will be found among the sponsors, promoters and VIPs at all the major marathons.

However, on Monday morning, he will be back among his favourite people when he lines up for the adidas Dublin Marathon.

All of 18 years ago almost to the day the tough Welshman took the US marathon scene to a new dimension when he won the Chicago Marathon in 2:07:13 and that was just a second slower than the amazing world record which was set by the Olympic champion, Carlos Lopes, in Rotterdam exactly six months earlier.

Three years later, again in Rotterdam, Dinsamo Belayaneh of Ethiopia ran 2:06.50 to write another amazing chapter in the epic that is marathon running.

So there will be plenty of reminiscing on Monday when the entries for this year's showpiece will again top the 8,000 mark.

The importance of the race to Dublin tourism is highlighted in the fact that more than 4,500 of those entrants come from outside Ireland.

More than 40 countries will be represented and many of those will enjoy an extended stay in the country.

While the race will again start outside Kilkenny Design on Nassau Street and finish outside the National Gallery in Merrion Square West, the course will be run in reverse with the runners going up O'Connell Street, through Phibsboro and Phoenix Park at the request of the gardaí who want to avoid traffic congestion.

We are still waiting for the authorities in Dublin to embrace this great race in similar fashion to the other cities around the world who project their marathons with pride rather than with tolerance.

The 2001 champion, Zacharia Mpolokeng, who was runner-up last year is back for his third consecutive Dublin visit in a very even field that includes seven Kenyans, any of whom could pose a big threat to the South African, while Luis Soares of France ran 2:10:03 in Paris last year.

Pauric McKinney, who was national half marathon champion in 2000 and national marathon champion in 2001, and Gary Crossan, last year's national marathon and half marathon champion, will again battle it out for the top Irish finisher. Last year, Crossan was first home in 10th position and finished 20th in this year's Paris Marathon.

Once again they will have to beat the tough Tralee man, John Griffin, who won this race in 1988 and 1989.

The course record set by Lidia Vassilevskaia last year should go again this year with Ruth Kutol (Kenya), Alevtina Ivanova (Russia) and Zivile Balcuinaite (Lithuania) - all capable of breaking it.

For Ireland, Annette Kealy, is an interesting debutante. She has represented Ireland at road and cross-country levels and finished second to Catherina McKiernan in the adidas 10 mile race in August before going on to win the adidas/BHAA half marathon in September.