FOUR PAST North-East winners will be guests of honour when more than 6,000 athletes converge on Maiden Castle, Durham today, for the 125th View From English National Cross Country Championships.

It is only the third time since 1876 that the prestigious event has been held in the region, and the four previous champions Alec Burns, Brendan Foster, Mike McLeod and Avery Gibson, will be there.

Burns, who used to run for Newcastle club Elswick Harriers, won the title in 1932 and at 92 is the second oldest living winner of the National, just behind three-time winner Jack Holden, who is eight months his senior.

Foster, the inspiration behind the Great North Run and Gateshead International Stadium, lifted the trophy in 1977 as a Gateshead Harrier, and two years later another Elswick runner, Mike McLeod, who went on to win the 10,000m medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, headed the field at Luton.

The only women's winner, Avery Gibson - now Mrs Avery Stephenson - who claimed the title at Chigwell in 1950 running for North Shields Polytechnic, intends travelling from her home in Swansea.

Although the National entry will suffer from the recent Inter Counties Championships being deemed the World Championships trial, it is still the most important cross country event in the UK for club athletes.

A total of 647 clubs, from the Borders down to Cornwall, will be represented, including 34 clubs from the North-East.

It is unlikely, however, that the region will produce a senior men's or women's winner - but Gateshead Harrier Charlotte Wickham, twice the Junior Great North Run winner and silver medallist at the Inter Counties Championships, could strike gold in the women's Under-17 race, in which Durham City's Rosie Smith is also expected to be a leading contender.

The region's main hope for a team medal in the men's race is from Morpeth Harriers, who won last week's prestigious Royal Signals North-East Road relay Championships.

But their hopes have been hit by the decision of their leading runners, brother Mark and Ian Hudspith, not to compete in a 12km race which will have over 1,500 starters.

Entry to the course, which staged the 1995 World Cross Country Championships, is free and the time-table is - 11.30am Under-17 Men (6km); Noon Under-13 Girls (3km); 12.20 Under-17/20 Women (5km); 12.50 Under-15 Girls (4km); 1.15 Under-20 Men (10km); 2.00 Senior Women (8km); 3.00 Senior Men (12km).