Berhane Adere, the defending champion, will be fully tested when bidding to retain her women's title and score a third win at the Bupa Great North Run on Sunday.
The 38-year-old Ethiopian heads a strong elite field which includes Portugal's Jessica Augusto, who preceded her as title holder, plus the Kenyan pair of Irene Jerotich and Irene Mogake, last year's Commonwealth Games Marathon gold and silver medallists.
Adding host nation spice to the half marathon race from Newcastle to South Shields will be the presence of top Britons Jo Pavey and Mara Yamauchi, both determined to be in action for Team GB over the full distance at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The pair will be returning to action after injuries prevented them competing in the recent IAAF World Championships and both of them believe they are in shape for good performances in preparation for marathon outings in the next couple of months.
Pavey, after some top notch training sessions in recent weeks, believes she is in shape to better the personal best of 68 minutes 53 seconds which saw her finish third in the closest ever finish to the women's race three years ago.
"I would like to think that I could get a new PB in the Bupa Great North Run this year," said Pavey, who gained the Olympic qualifier at the Virgin London Marathon in April. "My foot has become stronger so I have been able to make some good progress and train hard. I will be giving it my best shot."
Yamauchi, yet to get the Olympic qualifier - she placed sixth at the 2008 Beijing Games - is quite confident she can achieve it before the end of the year and knows the Bupa Great North Run is a perfect event to assess how her training has progressed.
"I hope to run an autumn marathon but have not yet decided which one. I want to qualify for 2012 as soon as possible so I can focus on preparing for the Olympics." she said.
That will be see both experienced internationals carrying the hopes of a British podium finish although Adere, with two victories under her belt, and Augusto will start as the favourites over a course they know very well.
"Adere's been a little inconsistent in her performances this year but that's nothing new from her," said Peter Riley, the event's elite athletes coordinator. "She always seems to lift herself when competing at the Bupa Great North Run."
Augusto makes no secret that the World's biggest half marathon was the venue of the "most famous" victory of her career and is determined to regain the title after injury prevented her doing so a year ago.
"For me it was frustrating but this season I hope to return and run well," said the 29-year-old, then recalling her 2009 win. "At that time I didn’t have much experience at the half marathon distance.
"Yes it was the most famous of my career and I had a very good media coverage in Portugal. The Bupa Great North Run is an excellent race where I always want to run well and fast – let’s hope that I can manage that."
Great Britain's European Indoor 3,000m gold medallist Helen Clitheroe who will be making her half marathon debut at the Bupa Great North Run, acknowledged the vast ability of her Portugese opponent.
"She's an athlete who I really look up to because she's very good at a variety of track event and it’s great to see a European athlete as strong as she is." said Clitheroe.
"She's run her first marathon and is a role model in terms of how she's stepped from the track onto the roads and improved. She's the kind of girl you can look up to."
Clitheroe, still pounding out the track miles and a finalist over 5,000m at the recent World Championships, will be sounding out the longer distance before a possible move up to the marathon. Scotland's number one, Freya Murray, just returned from injury will also be looking to produce a good showing.
The wheelchair race will see former Bupa Great North Run champion Josh Cassidy of Canada in action against the host nation's David Weir, the Londoner who beat him in a close finish last year.
Shelly Wood's will also face last year's runner-up, Francesca Porcellato of Italy, and Brit team-mate Nicki Emmerson who finished third before going on to win this year's Bupa Great Manchester Run title. The USA's 2009 champion Amanda McGrory is also returning.
For more information please visit www.greatrun.org
