PAULINE Powell endured gruelling preparation for the Wakefield 10k at the weekend.

But it proved to be worth while as the 29-year-old was the second woman to cross the line - 19th overall - just 39 seconds behind Catherine Mutwa. The Kenyan finished in 33 minutes, 36 seconds.

But the Wakefield road race followed hot on the heels of Powell's trip to Milan, where she competed in a six kilometres race known as Cinque Mulini, which stands for Five Watermills.

The former Blackburn Harrier finished second out of a field of 55 after racing over a tricky terrain.

"It was unusual - a lot different to the cross country over here," Powell explained.

"I normally do eight kilometre races but this one was quite challenging as we had to run through water mills and it was bad underfoot as there was a lot of shale and dirt tracks.

"I was racing against Kenyans and Americans and finished in 20.44 minutes, which I was really pleased with because it was better than I had expected."

England cross country runner Powell, who was handed the award for international achievement from Blackburn and District sports' council two years ago, is now training hard in a bid to qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

She is also due to participate in the Edinburgh Marathon in June.