He was at a crossroads but now Jay Donawa is going cross-country ? and all the way to Paris!

The Island?s premier cross-country athlete is taking a step up to the big league with a double assault on the international circuit next month.

First, he competes in the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association?s (NACAC) Cross-Country Championship in Orlando, Florida on March 6 before setting his sights on the finest that discipline has to offer in the IAAF World Cross-Country Championships in Paris, France on March 19 and 20.

These invitations from the Bermuda Track and Field Association (BTFA), particularly the latter, have Donawa?s spirits soaring after recent sobering contemplation about his athletic future.

?The Worlds is a great opportunity because as I said before I was at a real crossroad in terms of what to do. Now this has given me an immediate goal ? something to train for ? in between other goals like May 24th Marathon Derby and the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Senior Championships in July.

?This is going to help me really prepare for those events so I feel like I have a new spark. Before I was just training and I didn?t really know what I was going to do. This is exciting,? said the 32-year-old, sounding quite eager about the prospect of rubbing shoulders with the best in cross-country.

?The BTFA recognised my cross-country ability over the last few years because I?ve won the local title five years in a row and I?ve had the highest-placed performance by a Bermudian at CAC Cross-Country Championships.

?I think all of that factored in and they extended me the invitation to go to the Worlds which is the ultimate for me because cross-country is my true passion.?

The NACAC meet will replace the CAC event at which Donawa is a seasoned competitor. North America?s inclusion poses a greater challenge as athletes from Canada and the USA will now be eligible to run.

Donawa will use this as a warm-up for his Paris agenda but still fully intends to give his utmost in Orlando.

?That will give me a good gauge of where I am though the field wouldn?t be as talented as the Worlds. Nonetheless I want to go there first and see what I can do and what more I must do before I go to France,? he said, explaining his plan.

As for the Worlds, where he will encounter the might of Africans such as three-time defending Cross-Country champion and Olympic gold medallist Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, he expects such world-class exposure to provide a candid assessment of his standard.

?I make no bones about it. The best runners in the world will be there, including Bekele. He has won the last three years so I know I?m going to be up against some very stiff opposition,? noted the Bermudian.

?I?m looking forward to it. I think it?s going to be an invaluable experience. It?s something I?ve always wanted to do, to take my running to that level. I think this is going to give me the opportunity to really see what it?s like out there, especially with cross-country being a discipline to which you have to adapt.

?Some runners are just born with the gift to run on grass and that?s always been my strength.

?I?m realistic about my chances but, at the same time, I?m going to run as hard as I can over the 12 kilometre course and then I?ll be able to evaluate how I?ve done, see where I finish and how many people finish ahead of me.?

As he builds up to the highlight of his international career, Donawa will focus on off-road training.

?Workouts on the grass at golf courses and at the Arboretum and some track work with limited road work now because I need to be conditioned to run on grass,? he said.

It will be a stern examination of his ability but he is confident he is up to it, given that he has been training consistently.

?I feel I have sufficient time to prepare because I have been training up until now but if I was starting from scratch I would be in trouble given the competition I will face.?