The race committee of Bermuda International Race Weekend 2002 dodged a bullet yesterday with the late arrival of a number of elite athletes who are central to the success of the event.

However, at press time, Lioudmila Kortchaguina, the two-time women's champion in the International Marathon, was attempting furiously to resolve her travel difficulties in time for tomorrow's race.

Judith Simmons, race committee chairman and president of the Bermuda Track and Field Association, said last night that the Russian had lost her passport but was hopeful of receiving Immigration clearance so that she could defend her title.

But the news was somewhat bleaker for Rich Tremain, the 2001 Elite Mile winner from Canada, and Tim Mangera, of Kenya.

Tremain missed his flight on Thursday after a snowstorm turned a two-hour trip to the airport to four hours. As he was scheduled to leave Bermuda tomorrow, the decision was made that he remain in Canada.

Mangera, who was travelling from New Mexico, failed to receive his new passport in time to make the trip to Bermuda, despite the document having left his homeland on December 21.

Otherwise, the International 10K, Half-Marathon and Marathon sport a complete field of elite participants.

Sammy N'geno, of Kenya, and Said Guermali, of Morocco, start as the favourites for the 10K, but there could be a surprise in the women's race, with the entry of Laurie Parton, who ran in the US Olympic trials two years ago.

Parton is travelling as a member of the New Jersey team that is running for leukaemia and might throw a spanner in the expected two-horse race between Grace Momanyi, of Kenya, and Breeda Dennehy Willis, of Ireland. Another dark horse is Canada's Andrea Grove, a training partner of Courtney Babcock, who is missing through injury after winning here the past two years.

The Half-Marathon, which is featuring prize money for the first time, will be an open affair with David Morris, of the United States, Neals Strik, of Holland, and Kenyans James Kuria Karanja and Julius Gwako vying for honours.

Russians will be the centrepiece of tomorrow's marathon with Fedor Ryzhov, the champion, favoured to repeat but Luiz Carlos Ramos, of Brazil, who was second last year, and Naftal Mayoyo, of Kenya, should be close enough to capitalise if Ryzhov has a lapse.

Similarly to the women's 10K, a dark horse could appear in the form of Guy Gordon, the coach of the New Jersey team and fianc? of Laurie Parton. Gordon is an established runner in the masters division and has a personal best of 2:33, which could put him in the running if the favourites have an off day.

The women's race, Kortchaguina's involvement notwithstanding, promises to be a blinder. Firiya Sultanova, who was 12th at the world championships, will take on the mantle of favourite but Tatyana Pozdnyakova, of Ukraine, Elena Makolova, of Belarus, and Svetlana Shepeleva, of Moldova, should make for an entertaining battle.