stimulating match-up between two of Bermuda's best middle distance runners...if Jay Donawa finds a sponsor.

Should a sponsor be found to cover his air ticket from Atlanta, the 23-year-old Donawa -- who is a student at Auburn University in Alabama -- is prepared to return home to challenge Kavin Smith over the distance.

"This will indeed be a thrilling event, possibly one of the feature races of the entire weekend. We are seeking a sponsor for him, all is needed is to cover the $400 air fare for him to fly here from Atlanta,'' said Tucker, Vice President of the Bermuda Track and Field Association.

Anyone wishing to offer sponsorship for Donawa is asked to contact Tucker at 238-2018 evenings or Race Director Phillip Guishard at the Department of Youth and Sport during the day.

Home from school for the Christmas holidays, Donawa said yesterday that it wouldn't be any difficulty for him to return for the race, claming that if he ran he expected to be quite competitive against Smith and the rest of the field.

Donawa has just finished his last semester at school and would be doing an internship when he returns on January 4. But plans for leave to compete in races have already been approved by the people he will work with and he reckons that returning home for Race Weekend will be no sweat.

Donawa and Smith last clashed during the National Cross Country Championships at Ferry Reach two weeks ago and it was Smith who won by a convincing margin in 41.03 compared to Donawa's second place finish in 41.51.

"That was a funny race because of the way the course was laid out. Kavin got a distance on me and I had trouble seeing him, and with the footing so terrible on that surface you feared going all out and hurting yourself,'' said Donawa.

"But although Kavin ran well and appears to be in great shape, racing against him in a road race will be a lot different scenario. I think I'll be more competitive, that's for sure.'' Donawa was ecstatic about the prospects of teaming up with Smith and Terrence Armstrong to form the nucleus of what could be the most formidable male team Bermuda will have ever entered in the CAC Championships.

The BTFA are currently making efforts to have the trio included in a six-man team for the event scheduled for Mexico in the middle of February with the extra incentive being a trip to the CAC World Championships for the top three countries. The top four team members' time will count.

"That will be a dynamic team if the three of us are included, I'm for that. I don't want to make any predictions but I really feel that we could do a lot of damage as a team. But it must be all three of us, not just two and other runners,'' noted Donawa.

"The thought of going on to the World Championships is quite an incentive, Mexico and South Africa will be a real boost for a runner like Kavin who has expressed a lot of interest in getting abroad for stiffer competition and training.'' Donawa, though, conceded that road running and cross country is not his specialty, citing that he uses them though as part of his preparation for the 5000 metres on track which will be his preference for next year.

But he reiterates that the prospects of representing Bermuda at the CAC Cross Country Championships still remains high on his list of priorities in the new year.

"I have made it a personal commitment that Bermuda will make it to South Africa if we three runners go to Mexico,'' he confided.

Michael Donawa, Jay's 17-year-old brother, early this month made big strides in track by turning in a time of 4.17 during an indoor mile event at the Kansas State University Indoor Invitational Championships.

A freshman at Emporia State University in Kansas, Michael's time was his personal best over the distance indoors.

READY TO RUN -- Jay Donawa (front) pictured with his brother Michael who is already starting to impress in college overseas.

RUNNING RUN