TOP Bermuda distance runner Terrance Armstrong will compete next month in his third New York Marathon.

Armstrong, who set a superb time of 2:30.23 in his first New York Marathon ¿ in fact his first marathon ever ¿ two years ago, ran a slower time in 2:43.42 last year and is hoping for a time around 2:35 this year.

In his younger years Armstrong was a track athlete and still holds the Bermuda records for the 1,500 metres, 3,000 metres and the 5,000 metres. He is also a three-time May 24 Half Marathon Derby champion but as he gets older he is concentrating on marathons and half marathons.

His original plan this year was not to run in the New York Marathon but rather the Chicago Marathon which was staged earlier this month.

"I have been training a fair bit but I did have a few setbacks. I was supposed to run the Chicago Marathon for the first time this year. But I had a few injuries and was forced to scale back (training) a bit so I decided to run New York. I am not sure what will happen ¿ I will just have to wait and see on the day. I am definitely not as fit as I was two years ago but I want to close out the season with a good race," he said from his New Jersey home this week.

One of the reasons why he wanted to tackle the Chicago Marathon was because of the course.

"It is quite flat," Armstrong said. "That is the reason why I wanted to compete in it. A few buddies who I run with out here did go to Chicago and they said it was quite warm. In fact this is the second year in a row that they had warmer weather than normal so it was a bit of a damper for everyone. It wasn't as bad as last year though. Then they had to shut people down who were over a certain time because of the heat and a number of them were taken to hospital. This year I heard it wasn't as hot as 2007 but it was very humid and that is not the best weather for a marathon."

New York on November 2 should be a different story. "It is getting quite cool here now. Hopefully it will be around 40 degrees (on race day) ¿ that is perfect for a marathon and hopefully there will also not be too much wind. But New York does have some adversities like the bridges which are challenging."

The New York Marathon is acknowledged as one of the world's greatest road races and draws over 90,000 applicants each year. Of course the race attracts many world-class professional athletes and has more than $600,000 in prize money. Some two million cheering spectators give the runners a boost along the way.

The huge crowds really help, said Armstrong.

"The spectators are amazing. They try and have the race run though all parts of the city and the crowds are very dynamic ¿ they keep everyone going ¿ there is hardly a dull moment. However it can be a bit lonely going over the bridges but that is it. You can be into the 16th or 17th mile and feeling a bit lost but the crowd urges you on. It's pretty cool."

Like the last two years Armstrong will start with the sub elite runners.

"You have to qualify for that and I will be toeing the line right behind the elite runners," he said adding, "but I also think that this year they are changing the starts. They are having a wave start so they will have certain groups go at certain times so that it is not a mad charge. Your time actually starts once you get to the line. They are breaking it up into five minute starts I think."

Armstrong is hoping that his injuries don't hold him back. "I hope my injuries will be OK and hopefully I will not get the cramps ¿ I hope I can put that behind me! I will probably start off a bit easier this year and increase (the pace) along the way.

"In the past I would have liked to break 2:30 mark but now I am looking to run 2:35 or better this year given the training I have been able to do. If I run under 2.40 I will be happy but if I can surpass that I will be very happy but I am not setting my sights too high."

And he is also looking forward to get together with the large group of Bermuda runners who usually fly up to compete in the race.

"I am looking forward to getting together with them ¿ people like Ricky Sousa. There is a nice group who come up from Bermuda and last year we all had dinner together after the race. It was nice and I enjoyed it," he said.

Two years ago when Armstrong clocked 2:30.23 he placed 59th overall out of the field of 37,000 runners.

In 2007 Armstrong was also part of Bermuda's big team to compete at the Island Games in Rhodes. And he won the gold in the half marathon. Asked if he would like to compete again next summer at the Island Games in Aland off the coast of Finland, he said: "I would love to. It was a great experience the last time. It was nice being part of a big team ¿ the atmosphere was great and I also competed with Jay (Donawa) and others. I don't know how the team is picked and since I am up here I do not know exactly what is happening but I would love to be considered."

In last year's New York Marathon top Bermuda road runner Jay Donawa finished an impressive 107th overall clocking 2:39.56 beating his good friend Armstrong by about four minutes.

Armstrong was four minutes ahead of Donawa at the half-marathon mark, completing the first 13.1 miles in 1:14:09 but Donawa surged ahead of Armstrong in the last few miles.

Other Bermudians to clock under three hours last year were Ricky Sousa (2:56:43) and 49-year-old Sylvester Jean-Pierre (2:58:20).

Geoffrey Blee ran 3:09:10 to finish ahead of Bermuda veterans Manuel Lopes (3:10:30) and Calvin Steede (3:16:56).