One fact about the World Cross Country Championships in Dublin is becoming increasingly clear. Paula Radcliffe looks like the athlete to beat for the women's title. Even with the world tests in Leopardstown still some nine weeks away, no one has shown better form this season.
In the grounds of Stormont Estate on Saturday, Radcliffe was a class apart when winning the Belfast International Cross Country, her fourth success in this race and sixth consecutive victory since finishing just outside the medals over 10,000 metres at the Sydney Olympics last September.
Radcliffe will have one final race in France next Sunday before heading off for five weeks altitude training in New Mexico, specifically tailored to leave her in peak shape for the trip to Leopardstown and the title she so badly craves. And there lies a most appetising clash with Sonia O'Sullivan, along with all the key figures from the Olympic 10,000 metre final.
"My aim for the world's is definitely the long course race because I still believe that is the real cross country title," said Radcliffe on Saturday, hardly out of breath after finishing 22 seconds ahead of fellow British runner Tara Kryzwicki. "There is a possibility that I will come back on the second day and run the short course race if I'm needed for the team. But for myself the only aim is the 8km race."
All the indications so far are that O'Sullivan will also aim for longer race on March 24th. She too may return on the Sunday for the short course race - perhaps eyeing the double victory achieved in Morocco three years ago - but the ultimate decision may well depend on how she fares in the World Indoor Championships in Lisbon a fortnight before Leopardstown.
But Radcliffe ran away with the World Half Marathon title in November, and in Durham just after Christmas she ran away from Olympic and current world cross-country champion Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia. Is there even more to come?
"I think so, yes. I'm running well now because I didn't have any major interruptions after the track season. I had a short break and got straight back into it. But I still feel that I haven't done the intensive training yet, so hopefully that will bring me on even more."
Maureen Harrington made further progress towards her aim of making the team for Leopardstown when she finished best of the Irish on Saturday, taking sixth place in 17 minutes 38 seconds - 47 seconds behind Radcliffe. Next best was Anne Keenan-Buckley in eighth.
The focus of the Irish team in the World Championships remains uncertain until O'Sullivan confirms her intentions, and her first test will come this Friday when she runs the Australian trials. But Radcliffe is adamant that the long course race is the race to win.
