That's what many of the Island's top runners will be asking themselves on the weekend when they use both Sunday's sprint triathlon championships and the Bermuda Regiment five-mile breakfast run as a final tune-up for the May 24 Marathon Derby, for which defending champion Kavin Smith remains the hot favourite.

Winner of the event three years ago, Brett Forgesson makes no secret of the fact that Smith is seemingly unbeatable.

"He is obviously in a class of his own as a runner. He can compete with the likes of myself, Tracy Wright and a few other top runners even when he is not at peak fitness. When he is fit, he is going to be a handful for anybody, and that appears to be the case this year,'' said Forgesson. Just last Sunday Smith showed his form in the Maple Leaf 10K, clocking a course record 32 minutes and 13 seconds.

Another top runner, Neil de ste Croix, who will be participating in the triathlon on Sunday as his final race prior to the marathon, admits he too can't challenge Smith, although he will be aiming to place in the top ten after missing last year's classic through injury.

"I won't be challenging him. I'm not really focused on the marathon. Kavin is very talented and will be hard to beat,'' said the 32-year-old de ste Croix.

Forgesson, 33, will be approaching the race in a more serious manner, but he doesn't expect to hound Smith in the annual run from Somerset to Hamilton.

"I think one has to go out and run their own race and see how it goes on the day, that's always been my philosophy,'' said Forgesson, whose lone victory saw him finish in 1:15.09. Last year, Forgesson was third in 1:15:47 while Smith won in 1:13:02.

"There is no real strategy one can use. In fact, I don't think I have the speed off the mark to go with anybody like Kavin who is going to run sub-five minute miles early in the race. I find that I cannot do that and then keep going until the end. I have simply got to pace myself from the start to finish.'' The only strategy Forgesson has going into the final weeks before the Derby is to restrict himself from running four races in a row, which is why he sat out last week's Maple Leaf event in Dockyard. But he will make use of the Regiment race.

"This is a final tune-up. I guess I am in the same short of shape going into this one as I was a year ago, which is not the best shape I have been in but it's not too bad,'' said Forgesson.

De ste Croix' goal is to run a sub 1:20 and finish in the top ten as he did two years ago.

"I am just hoping that my general fitness will carry me through to the end,'' he said Karen Adams, winner of the women's division last year and 30th overall with a time of 1:28.07, is not taking advantage of the Brmuda Regiment race either.

She is taking it easy until May 24th.

In fact she is one of the few who feel comfortable going into the marathon after having had several weeks of rest. Adams hasn't raced since the Evian ten-miler on March 23 when she placed 17th overall in 1.04.11 while winning the women's division.

"I don't see the weeks of inactivity as being a problem, I did pretty much the same thing last year,'' she said. "I feel very comfortable going into the marathon without being too competitive in the preceding weeks. The competitive side for me is being physically fit and just being healthy.''