ORGANISERS of one of the North-East most long-established road races are baffled by a fall-off in entries.

Only 95 athletes - mainly club runners - have so far signed up for today's Elswick Harriers Norman Woodcock Memorial six mile road race in the grounds of High Gosforth Park Newcastle, an event which, in the past, has attracted high-calibre internationals and top-notch local club men.

Previous winners' names engraved on the trophy include those of Steve Cram, Charlie Spedding, Paul Davies Hale and Brendan Foster and the off-road race has always been immensely popular with North-East clubs.

"I just can't understand the lack of interest - I just hope that a lot of runners will enter on the day," said Elswick secretary Frank Watson.

Even last year's winners, Terry Wall (Morpeth) and Michelle Holt (Sunderland) have indicated that they won't be defending their titles.

Watson said: "We don't know why the entries have fallen off - it is the same flat course, which is virtually traffic-free and it is quite attractive.

"We will be having a meeting after the race to discus ways of attracting more runners in future events."

A new name looks sure to go on the trophy and a leading candidate is likely to be Sunderland Harrier Dave Robertson, who won the Flora London Marathon veteran's title three years ago and was third at Gosforth Park last year.

Late entries (£6 for club runners, £6 unattached) will be accepted before the race, which is sponsored by Warburton Bakeries, and starts at 2pm.

* Gateshead Harriers are promoting a 5K race in Saltwell Park tomorrow (10.30am) in aid of Arthritis Research.

* Entries close on December 13 for Saltwell Harriers' road races in Saltwell Park on Sunday, December 19.

* Redcar Racewalking Club international Johanna Jackson - a student at Teesside University - recorded a new 10K personal best of 50mins 2 secs when she broke the course record by over 30 seconds in the third Northern Counties Winter League race at Redcar.

* Thirsk and Sowerby Harriers host the third North Yorkshire and South Durham Harrier League fixture on a fast, flat circuit at Thirsk Racecourse tomorrow, starting at 1pm.

* Marion Jones has denied new allegations she has used performance-enhancing drugs.

The accusations were levelled by Victor Conte, founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO), the firm at the centre of the biggest doping scandal in sporting history.

The steroid distribution case has implicated a range of sports including baseball, cycling and, most of all, athletics, since the discovery of the previously undetectable drug tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) late last year.

But the case really erupted when the United States Anti-Doping Agency accused BALCO of being the source of THG.

Conte, likely to face trial in March on charges of distributing illegal steroids and money laundering, made the accusations on ABC television's 20-20 news programme aired last night, saying: ''I have too much information to go quietly.''

Conte alleges he supplied Jones, the double Olympic sprint gold-medallist, with prohibited drugs prior to the 2000 Games.

Conte claims he instructed Jones and then watched her inject herself in the leg, before she went on to win three gold and two bronze medals in Sydney.

However, Jones' lawyer Richard Nicholls responded by vehemently denying the claims.

He said: ''Marion has steadfastly maintained her position throughout: she has never, ever used performance-enhancing drugs. Victor Conte is a man facing a 42-count federal indictment.''