A pregnant Sonia O'Sullivan proved her condition does not stop her from competing at a high level when winning the Tesco Women's Great North Run in Manchester this morning.
Against a field containing a dozen British internationals and a several from abroad, last year's Olympic 5000 metres silver medallist crossed the finishing line in 28 minutes and 08 seconds.
That was five seconds clear of Shaftesbury's Lucy Elliott and Danish marathon runner Gitte Karlshoj, who finished the race in 28mins 15secs.
O'Sullivan, expecting her second child in December, is not sure how long she can continue running during her pregnancy.
"There's no laid down time," said the 31-year-old Irishwoman. "I'll train and run for as long as I can.
"There will become a point when I will have to stop, but I think I will slow down gradually.
"Really, I just want to stay fit.
"I thought the course today was longer than the five mile race I was training for. There seemed to be an extra 400 metres. I broke away just before the finish as I was feeling a little tired and didn't want a sprint to the line.
"But it was a good course and one of the best races I have taken part in lately."
Because of her pregnancy O'Sullivan will not take part in the IAAF World Championships which begin in Edmonton at the beginning of August.
PA