International Race Weekend officials are bracing themselves for the biggest ever field in the January marathon.

And they are trying to allay concerns over the absence of entry forms in local sports shops as the first registration deadline for the January 17-19 weekend of racing approaches.

"We are aware of the problem,'' race director Philip Guishard said when informed local sports outlets were concerned that they had still not received entry forms.

"We haven't been given any,'' said Sutherland Madeiros of the Sportseller, which carries forms for most of the Island's road races. He said every day recently at least four or five people had come into his shop looking for forms. Last January, a "misunderstanding'' resulted in 170 completed local entry forms being left at the Sportseller, awaiting pick-up by race officials, until a few days before Race Weekend.

The Pro Shop and Winners Edge are also awaiting entry forms as enquiries are begin to pick up.

Guishard explained that several thousand entry forms had been printed by the Bermuda Department of Tourism but most ended up overseas, to Department of Tourism offices and to road races, such as the New York Marathon, where many of them were distributed.

"We also issued 800 forms to all locally registered athletes in the mail, not just people who ran last year but all those who have registered with the (Bermuda Track and Field Association),'' Guishard explained.

"Given the number of entry forms that we issue every year it is only about half that come back, and it's a tremendous wastage. I have already informed one sports store that we are working with Tourism to see if we can retrieve some from their overseas offices.'' Sports manager at the Department of Tourism, Wayne Smith, confirmed that a box of brochures, which contain the entry forms, is in the process of being returned.

"Ten thousand brochures were initially produced and nearly 9,000 have been distributed to various groups and individuals both locally and overseas. We have requested that around 1,000 be express mailed to us from our New York office and we should have them by Friday,'' he said.

Added Guishard: "I suspect that, typically, the first of December everybody is getting excited because they are getting close to the first deadline (December 13). But having said that they can be assured that we are aware of the problem and we're working on it.'' Guishard said early December is the traditional period when forms begin coming in and there are early indications the marathon will have its biggest ever field.

Last year, prior to late entries, some 260 runners (compared to just over 100 the previous year) signed up for the marathon. That number was boosted by 171 from the Leukaemia Society of America, who are planning to send another big group here next montht.

The 10 km race last year had 371 runners compared to 320 in 1995 while the half-marathon had 254 registered, up from 196 the year before.