Pregnant Irishwoman 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 yesterday 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 0.8 seconds.
That was five seconds clear of Shaftesbury's Lucy Elliott and Danish marathon runner Gitte Karlshoj, who ran 28 minutes 15 seconds.
The event, restricted to 2000 runners in its inaugural year, was an early advertisement that Manchester is sports conscious in the build-up to hosting next year's Commonwealth Games.
Lending his support to the event before the contestants set off from the city's Albert Square was Sir Alex Ferguson - the Manchester United manager waved the starter's flag setting them off on their journey.
But the biggest incentive for many of the competitors, including O'Sullivan who dropped her rivals in the closing stages, was the opportunity to run down one of the world's best known television landmark, Coronation Street.
Deliberately built into the first lap of the race, O'Sullivan said of the cobbled Granada Television setting: "I didn't see too much of the sights there.
"I was concentrating on the race, but I'm sure those behind had a better chance of a view than me." O'Sullivan, expecting her second child in December, is, however, not sure how long she can continue running during her pregnancy.
"There's no laid down time," said the 31-year-old. "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.
