Terrance Armstrong will be shooting for three straight, Kavin Smith his tenth overall and perennial bridesmaid Jay Donawa a breakthrough victory.

But the ?Big Three? in tomorrow?s annual Marathon Derby are unlikely to have everything their own way with two sets of brothers in the mix, making the 13.3 mile haul from Somerset to Bernard Park another intriguing contest.

A massive 608 runners have signed up for the race ? the biggest entry in more than 10 years and believed to be one of the biggest ever ? but realistically there are less than 10 in the field capable of victory.

Among them are Larry and Lamont Marshall, the best road running talent to emerge in recent years.

Both have quickly matured into top athletes as shown by race results this year. Larry won the Lindo?s 10K and RMS 10K while Lamont romped home ahead of Donawa to win the Sir Stanley Burgess 5K.

And both have shown in previous years they can handle the longer distances.

South African twins Evan and Riaan Naude, among the Island?s top triathletes, have shown they too can hold their own among the leading road runners.

And following their controversial omission from Bermuda?s Commonwealth Games squad following changes in the eligibility rule, they?d probably like nothing more than to put up a good showing tomorrow.

Another who could find himself in or just behind the lead pack is the improving Leon Bascome, who has also posted some impressive times in the last year.

But it?s Armstrong, returning from his home in Washington DC, who will be seen as the man to beat considering the manner in which he?s stepped up from an outstanding track career in which he represented Bermuda at both the Commonwealth and Pan Am Games to dominate the May 24 race.

In a recent interview he made it clear his priorities this year included a third straight Derby win.

?I have no injuries except a few aches and pains after training,? he said. ?All my training has been geared to the full marathon.

?I want to be ready for New York (marathon). My training runs have been more intense ? I have been doing a lot of pace work.?

However, if Smith is in anywhere near his best form, he?ll likely pose the most serious threat given that nobody in the field knows better how to pace themselves in a race which can be every bit as mentally challenging as it is physically.

As usual, he played down his own chances, pointing to an injury suffered in the lower leg in January which he says has hampered his preparation. But if he?s on the start line, none of his rivals will be taking him lightly.

As for Donawa, he?d like nothing more than to snap a streak which has seen him finish runner-up for the past seven years

And his rivals will be aware that nobody has trained harder in a bid to break free from the shackles which last year led to roadside spectators cruelly taunting him with the word ?loser?.

?With Terrance being the champion for the past two years I would say that he is the favourite,? said Donawa. ?He is the man to beat because he has the title. Then there are the Marshalls and Kavin. I have heard that Kavin is competing but I don?t know what he is capable of doing this year.?

Of his own race plan, Donawa says: ?I have some alternatives and have a good idea how I would like to run the race. Hopefully, come race day, I will be able to apply one of these strategies.

?I?ve accepted that it will be hot and humid, that way I will not be disappointed. If it turns out to be a cool day that will be an unexpected bonus.?

In the women?s field, the absence of defending champion Lynn Patchett who has decided this year to compete in the Sinclair Packwood Memorial cycle race and the injured Victoria Fiddick, could leave no more than three or four runners in the hunt.

Among them are two relative newcomers, Karen Bordage, who in the last year has smashed the three-hour barrier in the full marathon as well as leading home all locals in January?s International Race Weekend half-marathon, and English runner Dawn Richardson who has been given special permission to run by organisers despite not meeting the six month residency qualification.

Richardson made an immediate impact on the sport on her arrival, winning the recent RMS 20K and Sir Stanley Burgess 5K and has reportedly clocked 38 minutes for a 10K as well as having run a sub-three full marathon.

But it remains to be seen whether she and Bordage can handle 13 miles of sweltering heat and humidity, not to mention the hills.

Those who can, and will also likely be in contention, include triathletes Karen Smith, who represented Bermuda at the Commonwealth Games in Australia and Kim McMullen.

While the distance of this year?s course is almost identical to that of recent years, the finish line has been switched from the National Sports Centre back to Bernard Park, meaning that runners will be spared a tough climb late in the race up Middle Road towards Montpelier Road and instead head from King Street down Victoria Street into Cedar Avenue and past the Tennis Stadium into the park.