Catherina McKiernan to concetrate on regaining full fitness

McKiernan will instead focus on regaining full fitness in time for the World Championships in March.

Illness undermined the 34-year-old Irish record holder during the European Championships at Christmas.

She withdrew from last week's Great North cross country and felt she would not be ready for Belfast.

However organisers have signed Kenya's Susan Shepkemei and Ethopia's Eyerusalim Kuma to compete against British trio Joe Pavey, Hayler Yelling, Hayley Tullett in the Ladies 5000 metres race and a host of top runners.

Shepkemei has previously run in Belfast finishing second at Upper Malone ahead of Paula Radcliffe in 1998 and sixth at Stormont a year later.

She came third in the Great North run back in September.

Kuma was sixth at Stormont last year before picking up a fourth place in the World Chamopionships in Lausanne.

Outstanding

Also taking part is veteran former world 10,000metres champion Liz McColgan and her daughter Eilish who is leading the under-13 girls' rankings.

The 39-year-old, who twice won at the Ulster venue early in her outstanding career and goes head-to-head against some world class opposition.

Also in the field is last year's IAAF world cross-country long-course bronze medallist Merima Denboba and Elvan Abeylegesse.

World marathon record holder Paul Tergat leads challengers for the men's event around the Stormont estate.

The five times World cross-country champion was third in last week's event in Newcastle.

Fabian Joseph, the teenage silver medallist in last year�s IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, will also compete as will former champion Daniel Gachara, winner of the IAAF Permit meeting three years ago and runner-up 12 months later.

Dermot Donnelly leads the local athletes, while former British international 3,000 metres steeplechaser Liz McColgan's husband Peter returns to compete in the country where he was born.