Jo Pavey admits defending her Bupa Great Manchester Run title on Sunday promises to be a much tougher ordeal than winning it last year.
Pavey fears no-one but admits the presence of top African stars Derartu Tulu and Catherine Ndereba plus Hungarian Aniko Kalovics, who she beat by a second in a sprint finish last May, promises a very testing confrontation.
The Commonwealth 5,000m silver medallist, however, accepts she is probably better suited to the 10km than Tulu and Ndereba, who are both established marathon runners, and Kalovics.
But Pavey needs no reminding Tulu is a former double Olympic 10,000m champion and is unlikely to have lost the speed base that carried her to gold medals in the 1992 Barcelona Games and then again eight years later in Sydney.
The Ethiopian, runner-up in the inaugural Manchester race five years ago, was also third at the last Olympics in Athens four years ago.
Pavey, however, believes Ndereba, who will be seeking to add to her 2004 Olympic marathon silver medal in Beijing this August and who in recent weeks has shown impressive form in shorter races, could provide the biggest threat.
"It is a strong field, which is a good test for me at this stage going into the summer," said Pavey, who returned from an altitude and warm weather training camp in South Africa earlier in the month.
Pavey insisted: "Catherine Ndereba will certainly be one to watch as she is the current world champion. There are many other good athletes also competing."
Indeed, Ndereba's fellow Kenyans Rose Cheruiyot and Margaret Okayo plus Bezunesh Bekele, another Ethiopian, all have the opportunity to shine over a fast course that has attracted 31,000 entries.
Pavey is hoping there will be no recurrence of last year's finish when she looked to have the race sewn up 400 metres from the line but the fast-finishing Kalovics almost caught her.
The 34-year-old Teddington athlete admitted: "I felt a bit weird towards the end of the race and started running the wrong way. Luckily I just held on for the win.
"But I really do believe races like this over the same distance I plan to compete over on the track at the Olympics offer perfect preparations for Beijing."
Pavey makes no secret her major ambition will be improving on the fourth place she gained at last summer's World Championships, where she narrowly lost out on the bronze medal.
"The 10,000m is the main aim and focus this year," added Pavey, although as at the World Championships she has not ruled out doubling up over over 5,000m.
Pavey said: "Last year I decided to have my name put forward in the 5,000m just because you never know what can happen. You could get sick on the day of the 10,000m or something.
"I only decided to run the 5,000m in Osaka on the morning of the first round. I think it's better to have one focus and goal."
After a heavy schedule in Potchefstroom, Pavey added: "It was a solid block of training. I have had a few niggles but nothing too serious."
Liz Yelling will contest her first race since clinching her Olympic place for a second successive Games when winning the trial incorporated into last month's Flora London Marathon.
World marathon title holder Luke Kibet takes on half a dozen of Europe's top distance stars in what is a very open men's race.
The Kenyan faces seven-time European cross country champion Sergiy Lebid and the Ukrainian will be joined by arch Spanish rivals Juan Carlos de la Ossa and Chema Martinez.
Steeplechasers Gunter Weidlinger from Austria and Mustafa Mohamed of Sweden, along with Burundi's UK-based Jean Nydisenga, will also rate their chances.
Marathon specialists Dan Robinson and Tomas Abyu, who are still awaiting confirmation of Olympic selection, lead the British challenge.
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