Enticed by two different distances, Jay Donawa is in a quandary as he contemplates the upcoming Bermuda International Race Weekend.

He is entered in both the 10K and the International Half Marathon ? back-to-back races ? but there?s some fear that one could affect his performance in the other.

?Usually the 10K is my main focus and I just run the half (marathon). This year I?m not too sure because I had a really good half marathon in November so I am in between minds as to whether I want to run a hard half-marathon and scrap the 10K. But I know the excitement of the weekend is going to get me and I?m going to end up competing in the 10K.

?It?s a catch-22 situation,? said Donawa, one of the Island?s premier long-distance athletes, yesterday.

?If I run the 10K it will take a bit out of me for the Half-Marathon and then if I run the 10K with the Half-Marathon in mind, I?m not going to run that hard in the 10K and I could end up with two average races.?

However, Donawa is buoyed by memories of last year when he surprised himself, performing well in both and clocking a ?big personal best? in the half-marathon with one hour, 10 minutes and 53 seconds.

?That was a personal best by close to two minutes. That was out of the blue and I didn?t go in with any expectations because I had a competitive 10K the day before. Terrance (Armstrong) and I ran hard together in the 10K and I was able to double up the next day.?

On that occasion, though, he latched onto Elfenesh Alemu of Ethiopia and ?that pulled me through?.

The female winner of the Half-Marathon (with a new record time) has opted out of competing here this year so Donawa will be on his own or will have to find someone else to accompany him on the round-the-Island trek.

Having recently won the BTFA Annual Half-Marathon in St. George?s and the Cross-Country Championships, he will have a final tune-up for Race Weekend as he defends his Princess to Princess crown on Sunday morning but hopes it won?t affect him adversely in the racing series.

?My training has been pretty consistent and I would say the shape I?m in is on par with how I was in late November/early December so maybe I will be close to the time I did last year. I?m not sure.

?But so much has to do with the weekend and how things pan out with the weather and all that. Last year the day of the Half-Marathon was great but the day before was horrid. There?s a lot of intangibles but I?m going to compete and whatever happens, happens,? said the 32-year-old.

Masters competitor Ricky Sousa is also scratching his head about which race to choose and has decided to delay his selection until after the Princess to Princess.

?I?ll get a feel for things on Sunday and then make the decision early next week which one I?m going to do. It will either be the 10K or the Half-Marathon,? he disclosed.

Meanwhile road-running ace Kavin Smith is focusing solely on the International Marathon and, with impressive showings in New York and Chicago late last year, his home fans will be expecting a treat.

However, the 37-year-old is adamant that he is giving his body a break and will not be pushing himself too much.

?I?ve been training three days a week and riding my pedal bike but I?m running the marathon for social activity.

?I want to be very comfortable and not have any soreness the next day or cramping or anything like that,? said the veteran.

One of the top female runners, Lynn Patchett, is moving down in distance this year, tackling the Half-Marathon instead of the full 26.2 miles as she did in 2004.

?I didn?t intend on doing a full marathon at this point in my season. It?s not in my training right now so I opted for the half (marathon) to start my season off and get a gauge of where my fitness level is,? she explained, adding that she has done limited training for the event after a busy season last year.

If Ashley Couper has someone pushing her in the Front Street Mile next Friday night it will not be Tamika Williams. The 800-metre specialist is still sidelined by an injury to her left knee but hopes to be back on track soon.