Marathon Derby, but she is taking nothing for granted.

The form book, as well as some of her leading opponents, suggest that Eatherley will claim her second May 24 victory after a year of uninterrupted success on the road-running circuit.

Last Sunday, she was the first woman to finish the Bermuda Regiment Five Miles, clocking 30:41 for a winning margin of more than two minutes.

And the previous weekend she smashed the Maple Leaf 10K record in the 14th running of the race with a time of 37:16.

When asked whether she considered herself favourite for Monday, Eatherley said: "I guess so, yes, based on the evidence of the last few races and I feel in really good shape.

"But anything could happen on the day and I think there are up to six girls who could win it. I expect Karen Adams and Maria Conroy-Haydon will be right with me, if not in front of me.'' Conroy-Haydon and Adams were second and third behind Eatherley the first time she won the Marathon Derby, back in 1993.

Last year Eatherley came in third behind winner Jane Christie and Conroy-Haydon, but 12 months on, she is in much better form.

Eatherley said May 24 was special to her, however much she tried to remain focused on the race, rather than the occasion.

"I guess I try to treat it like any other race, but I can't help but get a little bit more excited and get a bit caught up in it,'' she admitted.

Defending champion Christie, who last year, aged 43, became the oldest women's winner of the race, rated her chances of another triumph as "zero''.

A hip injury has disrupted Christie's running this year and sidelined her for around six weeks between mid-February and late March, while she rested and had treatment.

Though she confirmed she would be entering the race, Christie said: "I'm just building up to fitness again and I've only been training again for four weeks or so.'' Christie said the hip problem had developed after she ran the International Race Weekend marathon in January.

"I'm just glad I'm going to be able to run the race this year. Last year I stuck in there and got a win because most of the other girls were not up to full fitness -- this year they are, particularly Anna Eatherley.'' Christie had happy memories of last year, her second win coming a remarkable 15 years after her first.

"I trained really hard because I knew a few good people were not going to be fully fit and it was a great feeling when I won it.

"This time I think Anna should win it, the way she's been running, but May 24 is one of those races that you don't know what's going to happen and she'll get some stiff competition.

"Maria Conroy-Haydon is pretty much back to full fitness and Karen Adams will be a threat depending how she feels on the day.'' Conroy-Haydon, who won the event in 1995, was keen to play down her chances of a repeat victory, saying work commitments and caring for her young daughter had left her with little time to devote to running.

"I've really not had much time to train and I've got no aspirations of winning,'' she said.

"I've only run a couple of races this year and my times have not been that great.

"If I'd done more speed work, I'd feel more confident. I'm just going to give it a go and see what happens.'' Lynn Patchett, another of the Island's leading runners, who finished fourth last year, could have been a leading contender this time.

But in March, she fractured her ankle in a training accident on the track at the National Sports Centre which ruled her out of the Boston Marathon and stopped her training for several weeks.

Last Sunday, she came back with a time of 33:03 in the Regiment Five Miles, but she is unlikely to have had the chance to put in the necessary mileage to seriously challenge Eatherley.

Derby favourite: Anna Eatherley (left) is poised to replace Jane Christie (right) as the May 24 Marathon queen.