COMMONWEALTH Games marathon champion Michael Shelley will be aiming for a place in the history books when he makes his Bupa Great South Run debut this Sunday.

The 31-year-old has not competed in a major ten-mile race before and will be attempting to become the first Australian to win the elite men’s section in Portsmouth.

“Ten miles is a great little distance to race,” he said. “It’s in between the 10km and the half marathon, so you can really push yourself.

“I’m looking forward to the ten mile challenge. It should be a great event.

“I love running in these mass participation races. I enjoy listening to the experiences of people who run for charities and other reasons. It’s just as exciting for them as it is on the elite side.”

Shelley became the first non- African winner of the Commonwealth men’s marathon title for 20 years when he overhauled Kenya’s Stephen Chemlany towards the end of a gripping 26.2 mile race at Glasgow 2014 in August.

It earned him a nomination for the prestigious ‘Don Award’, bestowed every October by Sport Australia and named after the legendary cricketer Sir Don Bradman. Demon fast bowler Mitchell Johnson was also on the shortlist for the 2014 prize.

Both were pipped by hurdler Sally Pearson but Shelley’s coach was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame at the grand awards ceremony in Melbourne last week.

As well as being a pioneering sports scientist at the Australian Institute of Sport, Dick Telford has guided Shelley, fellow marathon runner Lisa Martin-Ondieki and 5,000m man Andrew Lloyd to Commonwealth gold medals.

“Dick is a great coach and a great friend,” said Shelley.

“I’ve been working with him for 12 years now.

“The reason I finished so strongly in the Commonwealth Games marathon was because he looked at why I’d been fading at the end of marathons and put some plans in place. I cut down on the sugar levels of the soft drinks I was taking and it worked.”

Shelley returned to the scene of his Commonwealth triumph last weekend, finishing fifth in the Great Scottish Run half marathon in Glasgow.

It was his first race against Haile Gebrselassie, who dropped out after three miles, and Shelley is hoping that the great Ethiopian recovers from his asthmatic problems to join him in the 25th Bupa Great South Run.

“I’ve always been in awe of Haile,” said Shelley. “Growing up in Australia, I watched all of those world records he ran, and that great battle he had with Paul Tergat at the Sydney Olympics.

“He’s the greatest of all time. It was an absolute honour just to meet him in Glasgow.”

The line-up for the elite men's field at the 2014 Bupa Great South Run also includes European 10,000m silver medallist Andy Vernon of Aldershot and the extraordinary Steve Way from Poole.

Way, 40, finished tenth in the Commonwealth Games marathon less than seven years after taking up running to lose weight and give him motivation to kick his 20-a-day smoking habit.

Vernnon also has local links, being a former Stubbington Green club athlete.

But European 10,000m champion Jo Pavey, who was due to head the field in the women's race, has withdrawn through injury.