The New Zealand athlete Kim Smith says she's feeling reasonably confident she'll be competitive when she makes her marathon debut in New York this weekend.
The 26-year-old Smith, who is based in the United States, has never raced longer than 10 thousand metres and her longest training run has been seven kilometres shorter than the marathon distance.
Smith, a two-time Olympian and national record holder in 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 metres on the track, has decided to give New York a go, with the prospect that the longer distance will eventually be her event.
Kim Smith says she hopes to run on the track at next year's World Championships in Berlin.
This year's New York women's field has been described as the strongest ever with Paula Radclife defending her title.
