ATHLETICS/World Cross-Country Championship: Mark Carroll confesses a certain aversion for cross-country running. Without the home advantage of this weekend's World Championships he wouldn't think twice about the event but since it's here and the timing suits, he has prepared himself for an all-out effort.

Carroll became even more enthusiastic about Leopardstown when injury forced him to miss the indoor season, normally his focus over the winter. Once his interest was known, Athletics Ireland were quick to pre-select him simply because an athlete of his calibre adds weight to any national team.

Yet despite clocking a series of world-class times on the track in recent years - including Irish records at 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 metres - Carroll has rarely adjusted to cross-country. On Sunday he runs the long course 12km race for the first time, although he did once before try the short-course 4km race (in Belfast in 1999, when he finished a creditable 21st).

"The type of runner I am, cross-country would never be my first choice," says Carroll. "I do have faster track times than all the Irish runners, but I ran the Rás na hEireann last year and Seamus Power beat me fair and square. It's just not my speciality."

Right now, however, Carroll reckons a 12km race could bring out the best in him. A chronic knee injury late last year kept him out of running for 14 weeks, and he eventually underwent minor surgery before Christmas. Since January though he has been logging up the miles.

"I'm still in the base-type training for the summer, but I do think I can run a solid 12km race at the moment. And to be honest I'm just happy to be running well enough to be able to compete in an event like this.

"I could be a bit race rusty but I have come straight off base work before and run quite well. And you don't really need to be that sharp for a 12km race. You don't want to go out too fast, and it's more important to lock into a rhythm and a good tempo."

The Irish men's team - unlike the women - concentrate their main efforts on the long-course race. Earlier this week Carroll returned home from his US base in Providence, Rhode Island, and later today joins up with the other Irish runners, led by team captain Peter Mathews and Seamus Power, and Carroll's fellow Cork athletes Fiachra Lombard and Martin McCarthy. John Burke has come in as the sixth man for Cathal Lombard, who was forced to withdraw through illness.

Together they will take on the daunting African challenge, with the Kenyan team chasing a 17th consecutive title.

A year ago in Ostend there were signs that the Europeans were closing the gap a little, but Carroll feels the Africans are still in a class of their own in an event like this.

"I think Ostend was a bit of an exception, and the course definitely didn't suit the Africans. You will always have years like that where the Europeans do quite well, and you will always have one or two white Europeans up there, guys like Paulo Guerra of Portugal and Sergiy Lebid of Ukraine who are real specialists.

"But this race comes so natural to the Africans. Most of their training is based around cross-country running and the distance is perfect for them as well. Every year you'll get the top guys in there from the 3,000 metres up to the marathon."

Last year the Irish men finished eighth, and to beat or even match that is going to require the absolute best from the four scoring runners: "I certainly can't put any prediction on it, and a lot will depend of how high up our top two runners finish. And (the injured) Keith Kelly is a big loss to the team as well, because he is one of our very best cross-country runners.

"The big danger for any team is to have guys start out too fast, and especially the Irish guys because they are in front of a home crowd. This is a race that suits the smart and patient runner. But I think Peter and Seamus are very experienced and especially with the home course I think they can do very well."

"But in general I don't think people realise just how hard a race it is. If you're having a bad day people don't come past one by one - they come past in droves. But then if you're having a good day you can pass a lot of people."