NORTH-EAST champion Stephen Hepples knows he will have to produce his best-ever performance to beat Ethiopian Tewodros Shiferaw in tomorrow's big Tees Pride 10K in Middlesbrough.

The 27-year-old Redcar-based Great Britain international won the event last year from arch-rival Martin Scaife to claim the regional 10K crown after winning the half-marathon championship earlier.

But Hepples knows that Shiferaw - winner of this year's Blaydon Race - will start hot favourite on Teesside and the course record prize of £250 is likely to go in what promises to be a fierce head-to-head.

The 26-year-old African, who is attached to Midlands club Birchfield Harriers, warmed up for the event by winning the Bristol Half Marathon last weekend in a rapid 63 mins 1 sec.

But Hepples will not be over-awed by the challenge he faces.

He said: "Obviously he is a top class runner and I'm going to have my work cut out. But he has two arms and two legs like everyone else and the half marathon might still be in his legs.

"I'm looking forward to racing - I will get stuck in and see what happens."

Hepples believes he is in the shape which earned him a personal-best time of 29 mins 31 secs in the Great Manchester Run in May. The Tees Pride course record of 29 mins 36 secs was set in 2005 by Scaife, who will not be on the starting line tomorrow.

"I'm pretty fit and in the same kind of shape I was in Manchester," said the Newham and Essex Beagle. "If the conditions are favourable I think I should be able to run that sort of time again," said Hepples, who is running in the ten-mile Great South Run next month as he prepares for a half marathon later in the year.

Shiferaw, who also won this year's Bath Half Marathon in a record 62 mins 9 secs, has a personal-best time of 28 mins 29 secs from the 2006 Lahore 10K in Pakistan. He is also an Olympic Games and World Championships 3,000m steeplechaser.

Scaife, who finished second running for the North in last weekend's Cardiff 10k in 30.14 - the same time as the winner - has decided tomorrow's race does not fit into his plans as he prepares for the marathon in London next April. But he thinks the clash between Hepples and Shiferaw will see his course record beaten.

Kenyan Cathy Mutwa, who won this year's Blaydon Race for a third time, is likely to claim the £250 bonus for beating the course record of 36 mins 22 secs set by Darlington's Bernadette Taylor in 2005. Mutwa, who this year has also won the Edinburgh and Inverness half marathons and the Belfast 10K, has a personal best of 32 mins 34 secs from this year's Lahore 10K.

The leading North-East challengers will be Darlington 10K winner Clare Robson, of Teesdale, and defending champion Louise Noble, of Sunderland.

Over 2,500 runners will take part in tomorrow's race, which starts at 10.15am.