Four Maltese runners will be travelling to Portugal next month for the World Half-Marathon Championships which are likely to attract the top distance runners from all parts of the globe.

It will be the first time that the Malta Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA) will have more than two representatives in the championships, to be staged on October 4.

Carol Galea will be joined by Giselle Camilleri for the women's race. The two male runners are John Buhagiar and Charles Cilia.

Undoubtedly, Briton Paula Radcliffe will be the star of the show. She set an unrecognised world best time of 65:40 for the half-marathon last Sunday but intends to do even better in Vilamoura.

The IAAF lists South African Elana Meyer's 1999 mark of 66:44 as the current world best.

The MAAA had planned to name its athletes for Portugal after the Ladies Running Club (LRC) 10K, originally scheduled for last Friday. However, following last week's heavy rainfall the race was postponed for today and the MAAA was forced to name its half-marathon athletes during the weekend to beat the IAAF deadline.

The LRC race, now in its 12th year, is a favourite among local athletes and never fails to attract a sizeable number of participants. Indeed, it is difficult to identify a favourite, especially in the men's category.

Buhagiar looks in good form having won the first two races of the Birkirkara SJ 5K series. But, so too is Jonathan Balzan who, over the past year, has put together a string of impressive wins.

As always, Galea starts as the odds-on favourite in the women's section. Her biggest challenge should come from Camilleri. The St Patrick's athlete recently won a 5K race in Trentino. Cecilia Fenech is also expected to be among the front-runners.

The LRC 10K could also see the surprise return of Charmaine Sciberras. Last year's winner has been missing from local competition for a number of months but could be back to defend her title.

Today's race starts at 6 p.m. in front of Mdina Glass, the sponsors.