Four-time defending women's champion Anna Eatherley is facing a frantic race against the clock ahead of this Friday's annual May 24 Marathon Derby.

Suffering a minor `flu bug following her latest triumph in Maple Leaf 10K, the Island's top female distance runner has had to drastically cut down her pre-race training.

And she's now battling to get fully fit again.

"I've had sort of a `flu thing going on," said Eatherley. "As I was going up to the race (Maple Leaf) I noticed that I wasn't feeling too well and half way through the event I felt as though I was dehydrated.

"So I took a couple of drinks at the second drinks stop which was unusual for me and finished. But my time was like a minute off.

"It's knocked my confidence a bit, but I have still been doing some training and light stuff even though I feel a bit compromised at the moment."

Despite the setback, Eatherley says she remains confident she can regain her form in time to successfully defend the women's title that she has now lifted for the past three years.

But she admits she faces another tough challenge from her closest rival, Lynn Patchett.

"I am taking my vitamins and actually it's starting to taper of a bit," she added. "Lynn seems to be getting better over the longer distances. She's getting a lot closer to me and she's also younger than me.

"It could be her year, but I think that I am a bit fitter than I was last year."