Jamie Lewis is set to provide the main Irish challenge in next Monday's Dublin City Marathon, where he hopes to become the first Irishman to win the event since John Treacy in 1993.

The elite entries for the men's race were confirmed yesterday, and the man most likely to deny Lewis is defending champion John Mutai of Kenya. He won his first Dublin title a year ago and on Sunday finished a respectable third in the Great North Run, suggesting similar form to last year. Three other Kenyan entries will ensure a demanding pace at the front. Of those, Wilson Cheruiyot, winner of the Belfast and Glasgow Marathons earlier this year, has the most impressive credentials.

Lewis made his marathon debut in Dublin last year, finishing a respectable fourth in two hours, 19 minutes, 58 seconds.

Three former winners of the women's race are also returning this year. Belfast's Teresa Duffy has experienced mixed fortunes since winning the race two years ago, but she is hoping to recover her best form on Monday. Also in the elite line-up is Carol Galea of Malta, the winner in 1997, and Trudi Thomson of Scotland, winner in 1995.

Entries for the race, which have now closed, have surpassed the 9,000 mark - the highest in almost a decade.