Jay Donawa's tenth-place finish in a regional cross-country meet last weekend is the perfect fillip for one of his primary goals this season - winning the May 24 Marathon Derby.

The Bermudian's performance in the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Cross Country Championships has inspired him to press forward with training in a quest to conquer the local showpiece for the first time.

"I am now more motivated and very psyched about my training and how my running has been going over the last six to eight months. I'm looking forward to challenging myself to reach my full potential," said the 30-year-old.

"That (May 24) will be my next main race. I am really looking forward to competing in it. I've had a string of seconds and I am going out there and give myself an opportunity to win the race.

"For so long you keep getting second place, eventually you've got to go one better. That's what I am looking to do."

Donawa resumes his training after clocking 41.41 minutes at the CAC meet in Acapulco, Mexico, last Sunday morning. The winning time was 39.53 minutes by a Mexican competitor as the host nation achieved a one-two in the 12k men's race.

"I was happy with the top ten (finish). In the last few years that's always been a goal of mine - to finish in the top ten. I just squeezed in.

"If I had to rate my performance I'd give myself a B-plus. It wasn't the greatest but I wasn't disappointed. It's definitely an effort that I can build off of. Considering the time of the season, I am not peaking by any means so I'm just using this as another step along the way. Overall I was happy.

"I told Jamal (Hart) the one advantage we have now is that going into May 24 we have already had an opportunity to exert our bodies in extreme temperatures.

"So when May 24 comes around it won't be a shock to the system and it won't be 80-something degrees like in Mexico."

What pleased Donawa most was that he was able to keep pace with the lead pack for half of the race's six laps across a golf course. Even after dropping back, the front runners were never more than a few yards ahead of him.

"The level of competition was comparable to where I am at in terms of my fitness and my level overall. I didn't feel like I was outclassed by any means. On the fourth lap everything started to string out but I was pleased with how I hung in there," said the Island's top distance runner.

By contrast, Hart did not fare as well, placing 22nd out of the 27 runners (28 started) who completed the course.

Noting that his time of 48 minutes was "pretty slow by my standards", he said candidly: "My performance was nothing really to talk about. I am not completely disappointed but at the same time it's nothing to jump up and shout about."

Stating that conditions were "very hot", the 34-year-old explained that he just never really got into the race which had "some challenging hills".

"I was much more in tune and ready for the Cross Country back in November," he added, alluding to the meet's postponement last year.

Like Donawa, his attention is now also firmly fixed on excelling come May 24.

"I'm going to give May 24 one more serious go," said the athlete, whose best result is fifth place a few years ago.