Chef Rolf Runkel will be taking the hard way to work this Sunday when he joins an expected 200 fellow runners in the 30th anniversary Fairmont-to-Fairmont road race.

The Swiss pastry chef works at the Fairmont Southampton Hotel where the race finishes after a 7.2 miles route from the Hamilton Princess Hotel.

He has done the event three times before and is looking to use it as a final warm up for a planned assault on the International Race Weekend Marathon the following Sunday.

Mr. Runkel is the featured chef in the international Runners' World magazine this month and as part of the deal with the journal agreed to take part in the local marathon, hence his intention to make his marathon debut in one week's time.

Before that he will get his legs moving in the annual Fairmont-to-Fairmont race, which was first staged in 1978 and has become one of the most popular racing events on the Island.

A former junior international cyclist for his native Switzerland, Mr. Runkel, 43, has a life-long background in sports. His best time for the Fairmont race is an impressive 47 minutes.

He was once a keen mountain bike racer until he broke a collar bone after hitting a tree during a race at Admiralty Park.

His focus is now firmly on running. Explaining his love for the sport, he said: "Being a chef can be stressful and this is a good way to get some balance, it clears your head and cleanses your mind. It also means I can more or less eat what I like."

This year's race favourites are Jay Donawa, who is going for a record-breaking eighth win, and Commonwealth Games triathlete Flora Duffy.

The race starts at 9 a.m. from outside the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, and competitors will be given a special gift to mark the anniversary of the race. Organisers the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Club and sponsors the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts have arranged for a ferry service to take competitors back to Hamilton after the prize giving at the finish line next to the Whaler Inn.

A breakfast buffet is also being laid on for the runners. And there is a 3km race for youngsters starting outside Heron Bay Marketplace at the same time as the main adults' race.

Entries for the event need to be completed by the end of today, either on the MAAC website or through the entry forms at Sportseller in Washington Mall. Late entries will also be accepted at a higher charge tomorrow during number collection at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess between 9 a.m. and 12 noon.