2nd October 2013 08:00
This Sunday in Portugal the brilliant Ukrainian Lebid will take to the marathon in what could be the next step of his amazing career.
It is the Rock 'n' Roll event in Lisbon, which features both a half-marathon and a marathon and Lebid, 38, sees this race as a good opportunity to test the waters over the 26.2 miles.
He faces a tough field, led by Ethiopians Dadi Yami, who has a best of 2:05:41, and Deribe Merga, who was fourth at the Olympic Games in Beijing, and has run 2:06:38. The Kenyan bid features Elijah Keitany, whose fastest time is 2:06:51, and John Kiprotich, who has a pb of 2:07:08.
Lebid's presence will make for a fascinating occasion from a European standpoint as he looks to mix it with the Africans.
He had become the unstoppable force at the SPAR European Athletics Cross Country Championships, winning the individual title nine times between 1998 and 2010, along with two silvers, a bronze and a team bronze in that time.
But on the road, he has to go back over a decade since he ran his personal best for the half-marathon, a time of 1:01:51 in Milan in April 2003.
His five-mile road best of 22:59 has stood even further to Balmoral in 2002.
A year ago he had immense determination as he chased a 10th European Athletics Cross Country title in Hungary but his hope disappeared during the event and he finished 15th in 30:36 as Italy's Andrea Lalli won in 30:01.
But it is not long now to this year's Championships in Belgrade on December 8 and it would be impossible to rule Lebid out of going for that 10th title again.
First, though, the roads of Lisbon and the fresh challenge ahead.