Tyneside-BASED Ethiopian Yared Hagos, who is determined to earn a living from his athletics prowess, has his sights set on completing a hat-trick of record runs.

The 30-year-old East African, who has joined Wallsend Harriers in response to the help he has received from the Tyneside club since settling in the Walker district of Newcastle earlier this year, has already picked up bonuses - and first prize money - for setting new records in the Darlington 10K and the Derwentwater ten mile road race.

Now Hagos is eyeing the £100 on offer for breaking the course record of 23 mins 48 secs in the five-mile Elswick Harriers Norman Woodcock Memorial road race next Saturday - a target well within his road racing capabilities.

Last weekend Hagos earned himself £250 for winning the 60th Brampton-Carlisle ten mile road race in under 49 minutes, clocking 47mins 51 secs - and his time at the halfway stage was 23 mins 33 mins despite having taken a heavy tumble soon after the start.

Hagos, who was encouraged to move to Great Britain after being supported in Addis Ababa by the non-profitmaking organisation Running Across Borders, which encourages promising Ethiopian athletes to try to make a living from the sport, teaching them to speak English as part of their programme, is being advised by Wallsend Harriers' North-East Inter-Counties cross country team manager Steve O'Gara, winner of the inaugural Junior Great North Run in 1989.

Hagos, who has won 12 of his 13 races this year, finishing eighth in the Great North Run, said: "I am really enjoying myself running in the North-east of England where the people are so friendly towards me.

"I want to get into a number of bigger races to really see what I can do. I know I can get better and I would like to compete at the highest level. Unfortunately I don't have the support many other top athletes have, such as the help of a manager, so I will just have to make do with what I have got at the moment."

*Morpeth Harriers head the Division One senior men's table as the Start Fitness North-East Harrier League reached the halfway stage with the third fixture at Blaydon this afternoon, with the first race starting at 12.15.

Durham City's Scottish 4K Cross Country Championships silver-medallist Rosie Smith continues her build up to the North-East Championships at East Cramlington on December 10 when she competes in today's European Cross Country Championships Trials at Sefton Park, Liverpool.