Bishop Auckland 10k : PRE-RACE favourite for tomorrow's big Auckland Castle 10K, Julius Kibet, has been left stranded in Kenya after losing his passport.

Kibet, runner-up last year only a second behind course record-holder and three-times winner Julius Kimtai, was confident that he would lift the £1,000 first prize in the absence of the defending champion.

But when he prepared to fly to London he discovered that his passport was missing and there was insufficient time to obtain a replacement.

Race organiser Max Coleby faced an 11-hour headache to secure a top-ranking replacement for the African star - and he has managed to sign up another top-ranking Kenyan, Wilson Kogo, who won the Bluewater 10K in Kent last month, clocking 29 mins 2 secs.

Kogo will take over the favourite's mantle, though he will face stiff opposition from another two up-and-coming Kenyans, 19-year-old Johnson Muiruri, who won this year's Hastings Half Marathon, and the highly-rated 18-year-old, Wilson Kibet, who will be making his overseas debut at Auckland Castle.

Leading British athletes had been hoping to break the Kenyan stranglehold on the race, but even with the absence of Kibet their task looks formidable.

African runners have dominated the event in the four previous years, Kimtai winning three times and setting the course record of 28 mins 45 secs in 2000.

But this year Coleby has managed to attract a strong UK contingent, including Blackheath Harrier Mark Steinle, the only British athlete to run under 2 hours ten mins for the marathon in the last four years.

Steinle had intended to run in the World Championships marathon in Paris, but after recovering from injury earlier this year has decided to hang fire.

Instead he has chosen to use the Auckland castle 10K as a springboard to a top autumn marathon, and he travels to the North-East hoping to break 29 minutes.

Another Briton travelling with high hopes is Yorkshireman John Mayock, who clocked 7:47 over 3,000m - the fastest time by a Briton this year - in Helsinki on Tuesday night.

Joining the Barnsley runner are Colchester's Adrian Mussett, a 29.10 10K performer, Sale Harrier John Wild, who was a 5,000m runner for England in last year's Commonwealth Games, Bristol's Ben Noad, sixth-ranked UK 10K road runner this year, and Spencer Barden, a 13:46 performer this year over 5,000m on the track.

Carrying North-East hopes are former World Championships 5,000m international Michael Openshaw, Chester-le-Street-based but competing for Midlands club Birchfield, and the in-form Martin Scaife, winner of this month's Darlington 10K.

Coleby said: "This is the best British opposition we have had to challenge the Kenyans in the history of the race.".

A strong veterans field will include Swansea's Martin Rees, holder of several over-50 world masters records and currently Britain's top veteran in any age group.

He will be challenged by former London Marathon winner and Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion Eamonn Martin.

The women's race also promises to provide a British challenge to a number of powerful overseas athletes, led by defending champion Miriam Wangari, who set a course record of 32:59 last year.

The fast-improving Debbie Robinson, who has made eye-catching progress over 5K and 10K since finishing fourth in last year's Commonwealth Games marathon, will be hoping to make an impact.

But she and Wangari will have to overcome the threat from Galina Alexandrova, who just missed out on selection for the World Championships after finishing fourth in the Russian 10,000m trial three weeks ago.

The race, which has attracted a record field of over 800 runners, will start in Bishop Auckland Market place at 9.30am and will finish in the grounds of Auckland Castle.