SURPRISE winner of the 2007 Fairmont to Fairmont road race Carl Kinney is sad that he won't be on the starting line this Sunday to defend his title.

The 26-year-old American came out of the blue as an unexpected entrant last year to win the 30th anniversary race and prevent Jay Donawa from adding to his seven-consecutive victories.

But the Boulder, Colorado-based Kinney is stuck in the cold mid-West mountains this year. He does not have the finances to arrange his own passage to Bermuda and has not been listed as an invited athlete for International Race Weekend in two weeks' time.

Despite the disappointment of not being able to defend his title, Kinney has vowed to do all he can to ensure he can return in 2009.

He describes the Fairmont event as the best race he has come across. And he sees no reason why it might not become an even grander race, attracting more overseas athletes, if it is promoted at a higher level.

"A lot of US athletes take multiple trips to places like California in the early spring. I feel the Fairmont race could be built up to attract some of them to Bermuda," he said.

Kinney believes there is scope for it to be linked more closely to International Race Weekend and for Bermuda to promote January as a "running month".

Last year the Fairmont race was followed five days later by the start of International Race Weekend. However because of the way the calendar dates falls this year there is a two-week gap separating the events making it unlikely any international runners will be in Bermuda to spring a surprise in the Fairmont event as Kinney did.

Kinney set the third fastest time in the history of the 7.2-mile race when he ran 37 minutes, seven seconds. The course record remains 36:08 set by David Swainson in 1989.

Looking back on his 2007 season, the Fairmont win is his clear highlight.

"It's the race I was most proud about. I had a couple of other wins during the year but Fairmont was such a unique, poetic racing experience for me," said Kinney.

"It was something you can't replicate. The quality of the race, the actual course with its views. I enjoyed the course more so than the International Race Weekend 10K. The history of the race, the crowds along the route ¿ I was just struck by the whole thing."

Kinney followed up his Fairmont race with fourth place in the International 10K. He returned to Colorado and the following month and suffered a setback when he slipped on the ice while training.

However, by May he was back to his winning ways with a 14:51 5K race, and a 15:12 victory over the same distance a day later in the hilly Baltimore Road event.

In September Kinney was sixth in the Rocky Mountain Shootout, a tough five-miler where he ran 26:45 in a race won by an All American 5K champion.

At the moment he rates his race fitness level lower than where he was last year. But he has every intention of bouncing back and taking up an offer to join the Boulder Running Company Asics Team with good friend Clint Wells ¿ who was one of the medal winners in last year's International Race Weekend 10K.

Joining the Asics Team will help pay for some of the running and training expenses and could be the avenue that will allow Kinney, Wells and some others to plan an assault on Bermuda during the 2009 Fairmont race and International Race Weekend.

Kinney noted Bermuda had paid its own tribute to US marathoner Ryan Shay who died suddenly while taking part in the US Olympic team trial in New York last year.

Bermuda's Ashley Couper and her husband Chris Estwanik arranged a memorial run last month that attracted more than 100 runners to remember Shay. Highlighting how close knit the running community is, Kinney said he was touched that Bermuda runners should have held such an event. Kinney himself met Shay briefly when he stopped by at the Boulder coffee shop where he worked while scouting around for a place to live.

"He was such a nice guy. He was one of those people who make such a real and quick impression on you."

This Sunday, Kinney will content himself with a training run in the high altitude of Boulder. It is mild this weekend, rather than the usual freezing cold. But his thoughts will be on even sunnier memories of racing along Harbour Road last year on his way to victory.

For those taking part in this year's race he said: "I hope every runner makes the best of their time in Bermuda and I would like those taking part to see what I saw ¿ the colours of the buildings, the beauty and the charm of the people spectating."

The race starts outside the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel at 9 a.m. and finishes at the Fairmont Southampton.

Entries can be made until 4 p.m. at Sportseller, Washington Mall, or by going online to www.maac.bm