annual Round the Town Road Race takes place on Front Street.

With Kavin Smith, who has completely dominated the road running scene in the last year, competing overseas along with several other top local athletes, the race has been thrown wide open.

Joining Smith in tomorrow's CAC cross-country championships in the Bahamas are Tracy Wright, Jamal Hart, Kevin Tucker, Vernon Tankard, Brett Forgesson, Tyler Hall, Jeremy Ball and Harry Patchett, all regular top ten finishers.

And while their absence will probably rule out a new Round the Town record, it means there's plenty of incentive for those runners who normally finish out of the prizes.

The same also applies to the women, as Anna Eatherley, Jennifer Fisher, Donna Bean, Jane Christie, Julia Hawley and Penelope Butterfield will all be in Nassau.

The route, slightly over five miles, is a comparatively flat one and conducive to fast times.

Runners complete five laps, starting on Front Street and taking left turns onto Seon Lane, Reid Street, Queen Street and back onto Front Street.

And for those who want a rigorous warm-up they can compete in a three-leg relay race which will precede the individual event.

The relay begins at 1.00 p.m. and the main race at 2.00 p.m.

Entries for both events closed yesterday but late entries will be accepted tomorrow at an increased fee of $15.

All secondary school students have been offered free entry.

Meanwhile the Bermuda contingent that left for the Bahamas early yesterday morning experienced a late arrival after excess snow at Kennedy Airport forced their flight south to be cancelled. They had to catch a train to Miami before making the short flight to Nassau.

While Bermuda are expected to do well in both the men's and women's division, one runner hopeful of shaking off an injury was Tracy Wright who along with Kavin Smith were expected to be the early finishers among the local men.

Wright had a slight hamstring strain during last Sunday's Butterfield and Vallis 5k and pulled up just short of the end. But before his departure to the Bahamas said that he was about 90 percent fit and did not expect any problems tomorrow.

However, Wright did make it clear that should be experience the slightest discomfort he would pull out of the race.

Smith, who has scored convincingly victories over local competition for some time, is anxious to compete in the Bahamas because he views it as a great opportunity to test himself against a more formidable field.