denied the chance of finishing in the National Stadium because work on laying a new track has fallen behind schedule.

Organisers of International Race Weekend's 10K now have less than a month to set and measure a new course and find a new finishing venue.

The race, scheduled for Saturday, January 16, which attracts hundreds of runners annually, traditionally starts as well as finishes at the National Stadium.

Two months ago the National Sports Centre's board of trustees announced the new running track would be complete by January, in time for the race.

But late last week, the board informed race organisers that the track "could not be guaranteed to be available for use'' by the date of the 10K and advised them to look for an alternative finishing line.

Although the board hoped the track would be complete by mid-January, this relied entirely on favourable weather and that could not be guaranteed.

The laying of the track by DD Martin, of Baltimore, Maryland, who won the $650,000 contract, has been shrouded in controversy.

Identical to the surface on which Linford Christie set the Commonwealth Games 100 metres record of 9.93 seconds in Victoria in 1994, the track had originally been set to open last fall.

But that deadline passed with local company Cedarberry Ltd., who had been sub-contracted to help with the job, in dispute with DD Martin over working conditions for its employees.

Successful laying of the track is dependent on dry conditions, but despite the unusually dry weather in November and December, dampness was still the problem, said Clifford Wade, manager of the National Sports Centre.

"We had several weeks of good weather, but with that came problems with heavy dew, in the mornings and from mid-afternoon,'' said Wade.

"Part of the track is put down in liquid form and has to set and conditions have to be totally dry.

"It is disappointing the track will not be ready for Race Weekend, but we are not looking to race the job, we are trying to do it properly.'' For race committee chairman Phil Guishard, the delay means more headaches and expense added to the already demanding task of organising Race Weekend.

"With one month to go before the 10K, this means we are basically having to plan from scratch,'' said Guishard yesterday.

"It is a frustration and a moment of anguish, but when you accept this job, you accept all that goes with it and you have to react positively.

"With an event of this magnitude, we will have to seek an alternative venue for starting and finishing and then have a new course measured and certified.

It is disappointing the public will not have the delights of gathering at the National Stadium with friends and family, nor of finishing the race there.'' Guishard said he was seeking permission from the Commissioner of Police to use the nearby Police Field, which had acted as a substitute finishing venue and meeting point for the 10K in past years when the stadium had been unavailable.

He had two other possible venues in mind, but using the Police Field would cause less disruption in setting up a new course, because of its proximity to the stadium.

Although runners would be unable to break the 10K course record, new best figures in next month's race would stand as an event record, said Guishard.

The expense of measuring and certifying the new course will involve flying calibrator Bob Thurston out from Washington DC, paying him a fee for the job and providing accommodation. Guishard said the race committee had not yet decided whom they believed should bear the costs.