Special to Irish Runner.com by PJ Browne

The late Noel Carroll used to say that "running a marathon, is like Christianity. It's simple but not easy." Mark Carroll is acutely aware of the wisdom inherent in this observation as he gets ready to compete in Sunday's New York City Marathon.

He enters the race with impressive track credentials. Carroll, has rewritten the Irish middle distance record book, and is the fastest miler ever to run competitively in this illustrious event. Track performance does not automatically convert to marathon success, and New York represents a daunting challenge for the Leevale athlete. However, both Carroll and his coach Jim Harvey are cautiously optimistic.

"Mark's been eyeing the marathon for over a year now," says Harvey. "He's over thirty (31) and doesn't want to wait until it's too late. He needs to find out now if he does have talent at this distance. The time is right. He's a mature athlete and his body can take the higher intensity workouts."

It's a new challenge for Carroll. "I enjoyed the preparation," he says. "I found it stimulating. I have reached a level of fitness that I never experienced in my track career." Harvey hastens to add that Carroll's track career is not over: "I think his best races are still ahead. There is unfinished business on the track. The marathon training has been very worthwhile, and it was a revelation to see the level of fitness attained. This will definitely stand to him on the track."

Harvey is under no illusion about the marathon. "The marathon is a strange event," he says. "The real race doesn't begin until around the 20 mile mark, and pace is crucial. We expect the pacemakers to go through the half in 64 minutes, which is the pace we want. You're going to have a superb field with marathoners of vast experience. We opted for New York because it is a competitive race over a tough course. It would be far better to run 2:10 in New York than say a 2:07 in London and only finish 7th or 10th."

Carroll's preparation for New York has been decidedly low key and relaxed. "We avoided the high profile half marathon events,"says Harvey. "Mark's instinct is to race, and I didn't want him getting caught up in those battles. So we concentrated on low key events and got the same benefits."

Carroll recently won a half marathon in Central Park, NY, in 1:03.11 (4:49 mile pace). He was paced for 8 miles by Keith Kelly (who is back to full fitness) and tacked on an additional 5 miles after crossing the finish line. It was a hilly two-loop course. "I felt very comfortable," says Carroll. "Even though I was on my own for the last 5 miles, I had plenty in the tank." Carroll picked up $200 and a trophy for his effort.

Harvey is not predicting a victory for his athlete. "There are so many things that can go wrong on the day," he says. "The focus has been total for this event, but because of all the variables that can come into play it is truly a step into the unknown. That's what makes it so intriguing and compelling." Harvey would be delighted with a top 5 finish. "If we get a result in New York then it opens up a lucrative opportunity for Mark as a marathon runner. A lot of questions will be answered on Sunday. There is absolutely no pressure this time around. Sonia is getting a lot of publicity, and rightly so. Hopefully, we can turn this to our advantage on the day."

Jerry Kiernan, coach of the Irish senior cross country team, and a veteran of many world class marathons, will be closely watching the performances of both Carroll and Sonia O' Sullivan. "It could be a stunning debut for both of them or it might end in tears," says the Kerryman.

"I would prefer if he had more half-marathon and 20 mile races under his belt. Indeed, one could actually argue that he's got too much speed for this distance. Having said that, I had only six or seven weeks of training before I ran my first marathon (Dublin 1982). But I always knew that at the very least I was capable of running 20 miles in 1:36 or 1:37. The key question for Mark is does he have the ability to be able to run on empty in the latter stages of the race. Not everybody can do that. There's no doubt that he will have a very good run if he is cautious for the first 10 miles."

Kiernan is a huge admirer of both Cork athletes. "I would love to see them do well in New York. What can you say about Sonia? She continues to amaze. I have great respect for Mark's racing ability. He has run one of the fastest series of times (mile, 5k, 10k) by a clean athlete. He is out there competing in an echelon of Kenyans and it is almost impossible to run against fellas who are born at seven or eight thousand feet. He is by far the best sea level and clean 5k runner in the world and I hope that New York is just a tester for him at the marathon distance." While the marathon distance is a new chapter for Carroll, his performance on Sunday will determine how significant it is going to be.