special to Irish Runner.com by Eoghan Young-Murphy

Sonia O'Sullivan has refused to confirm her future career plans but, though she has decided to compete in Saturday's Great North Run Half-Marathon in Newcastle, she has no aspirations whatsoever of a replication of her triumph in the 1998 edition of the event.

Her preparations for both races could hardly be more different. Seven years ago, she had just completed a remarkable 5,000m and 10,000m double; now, she embarks on the event on the back of disastrous past few months in which been dogged by injury and indifferent form.

O'Sullivan will, as is her wont, head for Australia next week to spend the winter training in a more favourable climate. She had announced last week she was set to take a sojourn from the sport to contemplate over her future, but she couldn't resist the temptation of participating in the 25th anniversary of what has become Britain's largest race of its kind.

Winning was once all that Sonia ever cared about; Irish fans remembered vividly the tears that flowed profusely down her face when she failed to fulfill her ambitions. And so the fact that she has decided to contest this race in knowledge she hasn't a hope in Hades of victory is surprising.

But she said: "This year I will run the Great North Run, not to win or break records, but to raise money for St. Peter's Kidney Patients Association. The reason I have chosen St. Peter's KPA is in honour of my aunt Fran Shealy, who passed away one year ago.

"Fran was a great support to me throughout my athletics career and my closest family member when I moved away to live and train in the UK. Fran has been to many of my great races, including my first Gold medal at the World University games in 1991 and, more recently, when I set a 10 mile world record at the BUPA Great South Run.

"Fran worked with Kidney Transplant patients throughout her nursing career in the UK and all her patients feel that she played an important role in their lives. The St. Peters KPA is a charity run by patients to help their fellow patients with the increasing costs involved with dialysis machines and modern equipment that they require to help them lead a happy and healthy life."