Treacy Will Know the Course This Time : L.A. Marathon: Last year’s winner didn’t expect to encounter hills during his run. Now he is ready.

When last John Treacy ran through the streets of Los Angeles, he was happily re-establishing himself in an event he had taken up, with instant success, in 1984.

The first time here for the Irishman was the L.A. Olympics, where Treacy ran his first marathon and won a silver medal, to the astonishment of Olympic observers.

But Treacy entered the 1992 Los Angeles Marathon after having gone years without a satisfying result. And to say that Treacy merely won last year’s race is to damn his performance with faint praise. He took the race by the scruff of the neck, shook it vigorously and tossed it away.

It was a breakthrough victory that landed Treacy on his fourth Olympic team for Ireland. More important, the victory heralded his return to the elite ranks.

Treacy returns to this year’s Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday a wiser man, having conquered the race’s early hills without allowing the course to conquer him.

“I learned a lot from last year, believe me,” Treacy said. “The course is deceptive. My feeling before I came here last year was that it was a flat course. I was wrong. I may have pushed too hard last year.”

Treacy lives in Rhode Island but has been training at altitude in Albuquerque, N.M., for six weeks. He said he was injury-free and in good shape.

Few expect that Treacy will repeat his punishing performance--leading from the start and running the last half virtually alone. Although the other runners came back to Treacy at the end, making up ground in small bits, his lead proved to be insurmountable.

Back from last year are many of the runners who chased Treacy, whose winning time was 2 hours 12 minutes 29 seconds. Returning are Joseildo Rocha of Brazil, who was second, and Peter Renner of New Zealand, who was third.

Rocha battled Treacy in the middle of the race. The two were running together, the idea being that they would take turns running in front to save energy. Treacy noted with anger that Rocha failed to take his turn at the pace setting. Treacy ran ahead, leaving Rocha to set his own pace.

Rocha’s attempt to make up ground was foiled by three official race vehicles that positioned themselves on the course, between Treacy and Rocha. Rocha complained that because of the vehicles, he couldn’t see Treacy and had trouble gauging his position.

Race president Bill Burke said last year that Rocha did not have a legitimate complaint. He maintained that even though the vehicles, including one carrying Burke, were on the course, the streets were wide enough for the runner to see around.

Rochas said this week that although he was still frustrated by the mix-up, he expected that his complaints would not be heeded.

“‘I am not from Ireland or America,” Rocha said through an interpreter. “Why would they care about a Latin American, a Brazilian? I will not let it happen again. I will be in the lead.”

Peter Tshikila of South Africa has potential, but is struggling to overcome a back injury suffered because, according to his agent, his running shoes were worn out. Tshikila, who ran 2:10:53 in 1989, sat out two days of practice this week.

Tshikila could gain an advantage if the weather remains warm. He lives and trains on South Africa’s torrid eastern cape, and is used to heat and humidity.

The women’s race features unknowns. The fastest time belongs to Lybov Klochko of the Ukraine. Klochko was among a group of women from the Commonwealth of Independent States, for whom the L.A. Marathon served as an Olympic trials.

Klochko had run 2:28:52, but dropped out halfway through last year’s race because of back pain. Two of the CIS runners from last year’s race went on to fame and infamy. Last year’s winner, Madina Biktagirova of Belarus, placed fourth in the marathon at last summer’s Olympic Games, but was later disqualified for doping. The fourth-place finisher here, Valentina Egorova, won the gold medal in Barcelona.

Klochko said she turned her disappointment from not making the Olympic team into incentive to work. Her strategy for Sunday’s race: “Run with everyone in the first part, then it depends.”

Also back is Lutsia Belayeva of Russia. Belayeva, who has a best of 2:30:25, did not finish last year’s race.

Another contender is Carole Rouillard from Montreal. Her personal best is 2:31:33 in last year’s Toronto Marathon, which she won.