Brighton South's Clay Watkins among favourites for Sunday's Camden Classic athletics meet

CLAY Watkins has been trying to win the Camden Classic for a decade and on Sunday he will have another crack at the state's richest 400m footrace.

CLAY Watkins has been trying to win the Camden Classic for the best part of a decade.

Watkins, 26, took out the Bay Sheffield in 2005 but has never won the state's richest 400m footrace.

He was runner-up in 2008 and 2010 and was third in 2007.

With strong summer form under his belt, Watkins is determined to break through at the 35th Classic at Camden Oval on Sunday.

"It's probably my No. 1 goal in regards to the SA Athletic League," says Watkins, who will start as a joint backmarker.

"I've always set myself for Camden but never been able to quite get there.

"It's been frustrating me.

"Both times I came second I was just beaten by better runners on the day, so too when I finished third."

Watkins, of Brighton South, says he has always enjoyed running at the Classic, "which is why I want to win it."

"Camden is a really good crowd for a local carnival ... so it's a surreal thing coming down the home straight."

Watkins reached the final at last month's Bay Sheffield, a 120m event.

Since then he has been training towards greater distances under his coach Paul Young.

"I'm in good form and I'm running fast.

"Whether I can get through 400m twice within a couple of hours, in the heat and final, has always been a bit of an issue for me."

Other contenders for the race include Camden's James Cibich, 2011 Classic runner-up Adam Coote and reigning champion Matthew Hargreaves.

The SA Athletic League has received a record 400 nominations across all the day's events.

The first race is at 11.15am.