Two of the world's fastest marathon runners from the past 30 years are heading to the Island to attend next month's Bermuda International Race Weekend.

Former world champion and Olympic silver medallist Douglas Wakiihuri and American great Dick Beardsley have confirmed they intend to be in Bermuda for the 35th running of the International Marathon.

Beardsley, now 53, will compete in the three-race Bermuda Triangle Challenge, while Wakiihuri is not expected to race but will accompany two elite competitors from his native Kenya and is likely to offer tips to local athletes.

Mid Atlantic Athletic Club (MAAC) provided assistance to bring Wakiihuri to Bermuda after initial contact was made through leading Island runner Victoria Fiddick.

She met Wakiihuri by chance at the Toronto Marathon and then helped co-ordinate sponsorship to bring him and two elite runners to next month's Race Weekend. The identities of the elite runners will be announced early in the New Year by the event organisers.

MAAC president Chris Page said: "We thought it was a tremendous idea to perhaps get the club informally affiliated with a group of Kenyan runners.

"There is a tremendous fascination with Kenyan athletes and what they have to offer. So we are helping to bring them out here."

Page said it was hoped that Wakiihuri, while not competing, would share some of his knowledge of running with local athletes, possibly at a club training session or speaking event.

Wakiihuri became Kenya's first World Marathon Champion when he won gold in Rome in 1987. The following year he took silver in the Olympic Games in Seoul and went on to take gold in the Commonwealth Games in 1990 and in the World Cup Marathon in Athens in 1995.

Wakiihuri, who is fluent in English, Swahili and Japanese, also won the New York Marathon in 1990 and the London Marathon in 1989. His best time for the marathon is 2.09.03.

American Beardsley jointly won the first London Marathon in 1981, but is most famously remembered for coming second in one of the most memorable marathon race battles in Boston the following year.

In what is now often referred to as the 'Duel in the Sun' he and the then world record holder Alberto Salazar were inseparable, running stride for stride in one another's shadow for almost the entire final 10 miles of the world's most prestigious marathon road race.

In a nailbiting last half-mile Beardsley appeared to be momentarily impeded by a police escort bike as he attempted to close the gap between himself and Salazar. Salazar won by two seconds. Beardsley's time of 2.08.53 is still the third fastest ever run by an American-born athlete.

Beardsley visited Bermuda for the first time in October as a guest speaker at MAAC's annual awards evening. He and his wife Jill are returning in January, and Beardsley will run the Front Street Mile, 10K and Half-Marathon on consecutive days.

This week he said: "Jill and I had such a wonderful time during our first visit in October, we stayed at Rosemont Guest Suites and became good friends with owners Neal and Sam Stephens.

"We met so many nice people and we are eagerly looking forward to returning again in January."

He has believes he has overcome a minor injury to his left ankle and will be okay to run the three races.

"It should be interesting as I have not tried any speed work since I had my new knee put in last January. I'm very excited about running the mile on Friday evening. I have not run a open mile race since back in college and I have no ideas of how fast I will be able to run. I'd be tickled if I could run under six minutes.

"In the 10K, I'd really be happy to run around seven-minute pace or a tad faster, and in the half, if I could run around 1.35 I'd be very happy. It should be very interesting in how my knee and back reacts to trying to run fast three days in a row," he said.