DEFENDING champion Alyson Dixon will be chasing a hat-trick of victories in tomorrow’s 23rd Sherwoods Chevrolet Darlington 10K road race.

And the 31-year-old Great Britain international could pick up a £150 bonus if she can improve the course record of 33 mins 39 secs she set on her first victory in 2008.

It will be Dixon’s first outing over 10K this year, but she has competed in several major events, including the Virgin London Marathon in April when she struggled towards the end of the race, finishing in a disappointing 2 hours 43 mins 48 secs.

Since then the Chester-le- Street athlete, now coached by Scottish legend Liz McColgan, has bounced back by finishing second in last month’s Blaydon Race, only 13 seconds behind the winner and defending champion Justina Heslop, a former Elswick Harrier.

Dixon’s biggest rival tomorrow for the £150 first prize is expected to be Quakers veteran Dawn Richardson.

Last year’s men’s winner, Morpeth Harrier Nick Swinburn, who was only 57 seconds outside five-times winner and former clubmate Martin Scaife’s 2002 course record of 30 mins 21 secs, is currently training abroad and will not defend his title.

But the 1,200-strong field will include several likely candidates for the crown, including last year’s runner-up, North York Moors’ James Bulman, who won the New Marske Mermaid and Newton Aycliffe 10Ks and was runner-up in the Tees Barrage 10K.

Bulman, 39, has a personalbest time of 32.08, set last year when he finished second over-35 in the Leeds Abbey Dash. His likely challengers include Andy Chadfield (Billingham Marsh House), recent winner of the New Marske Victorian 10K, Low Fell’s consistent Jon Archer, fourth at Darlington last year in 32.28, and Billingham’s Mike Jeffries, who was fifth.

The race starts at 10.30am and unlike previous years, there will be no late entries.

■ Chester-le-Street’s Scottish champion Emma Raven, who will attempt to set a UK 2,000m steeplechase record and win the Northern senior title at Stretford on Tuesday night, has been awarded £250 for the best female track performance in last month’s Scottish Championships.

Raven, who holds the Scottish 2,000m and native 3,000m steeplechase records, has lost out on her bid to obtain the Commonwealth Games qualifying time.

The UK 2,000m steeplechase record is 6 mins 28.07 secs, set in 2003, and Raven’s personal-best for the event is 6:29.38.