While most of the attention during International Race Weekend will focus on the elite runners, many of the local heroes will be pounding the roads with their own personal goals in mind.

And in a sport that has witnessed an ever decreasing gap between the performances of men and women, three of the Island’s top female runners have planned very different weekends — all with the same determination to give Bermuda something of which to be proud.

The unquestioned queen of local road racing, Anna Eatherley, will again push herself to the limit as she competes in the Front Street Mile on Friday evening as an appetiser, the 10K on Saturday for her main course and the Half-Marathon on Sunday for dessert.

Maintaining she has not bitten off more than she can chew, Eatherley played down the demands of racing three days in a row.

“I have done it before and actually it seems to get easier as the weekend goes on because the pace for each race naturally gets slower.”

Noting that that the Front Street event could be the toughest, she said she was again hoping for a good result in front of the thousands of locals supporters who traditionally turn out for the races.

“I have finished second so many times, I am hoping to go one better this year,” she said. “I was pleased with my trials run even though I have done no track work this time. I was actually a couple of seconds faster (than last year).”

With last year’s winner Ashley Couper and former winner Karen Adams not expected to be on the start line, there seems to be little in the way of Eatherley who will also start the 10K as local favourite.

After some strong early season performances, including a win in last weekend’s Princess to Princess Race where her closest challenger was Lynn Patchett some 45 seconds behind, there should be nothing to stop her.

“The 10K will be my focus this weekend, but I want to run the half-marathon as well. That should be a good race against Lynn,” she added.

Patchett may have taken on a less demanding weekend but sounded excited at the prospect of racing against Eatherley over the longer distance.

“I came off the New York Marathon feeling quite good,” she said. “I took a break over Christmas but am now back into my training and hope to do well on Sunday. I ran a strong half in New York as a build-up to the marathon when I ran one hour 23 minutes.

“My best on this course is about 1:26 but I would like to beat that.”

Of the prospect of facing Eatherley on the start line, Patchett sounded quietly confident. “Last weekend in the Princess race I ran my own race, and was pleased with the way I ran as a lead-up to this weekend. The half-marathon is a totally different race. I have a feeling that it’s a distance that suits me.”

As Eatherley and Patchett duel it out on Sunday morning, marathon runner Annette Hallett will have a different kind of battle on her hands as she looks to repeat last year’s top local female placing on what has been described as one of the toughest marathon courses in the world.

It has been a roller coaster build-up to her favourite race, says the 50-year-old, who has had to endure injury and sickness that has left her far less confident than last year.

“After my (age group) win in the Marine Corp Marathon (in Washington), I didn’t really ease off my training and since then I have had a flu virus and then suffered a strained back, so it hasn’t exactly been the best preparation,” she said.

However, the determined veteran is not prepared let the setbacks deter her. “I did a steady 20 miles last weekend just to see how my legs held up. I would like to be first local again this year but will run my own race. I plan to go out at 7.30 pace and see if I can hold it.”