Jay Donawa is at the crossroads in his running career.

Apart from the elusive May 24 Marathon Derby title, he has won just about every local distance race and has continually distinguished himself at the annual Bermuda International Race Weekend.

In the 2005 edition of that running series last weekend, he was the top Bermudian finisher in both the 10K and the International Half Marathon, placing sixth overall in the former (32.54 minutes) and third in the Half Marathon in one hour, 13 minutes and ten seconds.

However, the 32-year-old is not content to dominate on these shores alone but rather yearns to test his ability beyond his island homeland and to provide stiffer competition for the likes of Russia?s Dmitry Maximov ? three-time champion in the Half Marathon.

The problem, though, is that ? with a family and a job in the Fire Department ? Donawa cannot make the kind of commitment he would like to the sport.

?I do aspire to a higher level but it?s going to take a lot. Obviously I would have to train and run consistently at that level. Those guys are world class and they probably just ran here as a training run,? he said.

?I work full-time at the Fire Department and I have a family. My life is a lot different from those guys. They are professional athletes. All they do is train and travel around the world racing. For me, it would be nice to do that but I?m at a different stage in life. I?m pursuing my career within the department and looking for upward mobility and I have been sitting my promotion exams.

?I want to improve on my running in the next few years but to get to that level I would have to make the sacrifice to move overseas.

?My wife supports my running 100 percent and if I had to go away for a month or two to train for a specific international event that would be possible but in terms of me saying I?m leaving Bermuda for a year or two to pursue my running, that?s not feasible.?

Still, Donawa, who is currently sorting out an international racing schedule for this year, is not giving up entirely on his ambitions.

?It is a bit of a crossroad because I?m 32 and if I really want to race at the highest level I have to do it now as opposed to three years later,? he continued.

?I think I am maturing in my running and I feel I have quite bit of running left in me. It?s just up to me to decide how far I want to take it.

?I have not said that I?m just going to stay local though obviously my main local goal is to win that elusive May 24 title.

The somewhat frustrated competitor noted his athletics development has been stunted by a dearth of top-class events here.

?Race Weekend is a one-time opportunity each year and for me, it?s about getting more chances to race against top-calibre opposition. That?s what we lack here. I could come to a race and, without Kavin (Smith) or Terrance (Armstrong), it?s pretty much an easy day for me.

?That?s no disrespect to other runners. That?s just how it is. Like in the Princess to Princess race, after 400 metres, I was all by myself and after a mile I was about a minute ahead.

?So I?m never going to advance if I don?t challenge myself like on Race Weekend but I need to do that on a more consistent basis.?

Though unsure if he could improve enough to triumph at Race Weekend, Donawa noted he would certainly like ?to be able to mix it up with the foreign athletes? and have some influence on the races.

?I would like to be more competitive and not just be running for local honours,? he declared.

The Bermudian dreams of representing his country at Central American and Caribbean (CAC) meets, the Pan-American Games and ultimately the Olympics.

Regarding the latter, his objective is to qualify for the marathon; a distance towards which he is gradually moving. Before doing so, Donawa wants to achieve ?some personal goals ? time-wise ? in shorter distances?.

?The marathon is where I?m heading but in order to do well at that you must have good PBs in shorter distances like 5Ks and 10Ks,? he said.

?I?ve met a lot of people in the sport who think I would do really well in the marathon but I don?t want it to be premature.?