Marathon in London

Steph comes up roses in Kew Gardens

‘Late bloomer’ is fl ower of Scotland

Photos by Mark Shearman

Athletics in Scotland has been very fortunate in recent years to celebrate a number of British champions – indoors and outdoors and even across disciplines beyond track and fi eld.

Few have topped the podium as unheralded as Steph Davis, however.

The London-based Scot tasted track action with VP-Glasgow some 15 years ago and then competed for Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds in cross country. Ten years ago, Steph was third at the Scottish Unis XC a few months after fi nishing 126th in the National XC at Falkirk.

Fast forward a few years and a surprise performance in a ‘fun run’ Berlin marathon saw her take the fi rst steps that culminated in victory at Kew Gardens in London to clinch her place with GB and NI at the Olympics. As Stuart Weir of RunBlogRun put it: ‘is a Cinderella story, an athlete of immense talent who only took up the discipline three years ago.’ That fi rst marathon was in Berlin 2018 when she ran 2:41:16. In 2019 she ran London as a club runner - not among the elite - and fi nished in 2:32:38. Seven months later, in Valencia, Spain, she fi nished in 2:27:40 to get inside the Olympic qualifying standard asked by British Athletics. In 2020 she only managed two races, a park run, and a half-marathon which she completed in 71:14. Then came that a victory in the trials which suddenly grabbed the headlines.

At school, she recalls running against Lynsey Sharp in the 800m in Scottish Schools events. Invariably, Lynsey was fi rst and Steph last – if the latter’s memory serves.

‘I was one of the best runners in my school - I wasn’t terrible but I was never on the podium at the national level,’ she recalled. That just shows that everyone’s journey is different and if you put in the hard work when the time is right for you, it can happen.

‘It wasn’t until recent years when I started chipping away at the marathon time that I realized there was something there, over the longer distance. ‘I started to think about the Olympics after I had run 2:32 in London in 2019 because it showed that I wasn’t so far off the Olympic standard. And when I was preparing for Valencia (December 2019) that was very much at the forefront of my mind.

‘But even then, I was hoping for a 2:29 and just to dip under the standard. Never did I think I would get 2:27.

‘In Valencia, I stuck with the group running at 2:29.30 pace but the pacer went too quickly. I was aware of this as I was checking times on my watch and I was freaking out a bit but I took a risk and it paid off.

‘That race was a big boost to my confi dence and showed me that there was perhaps more to come, had my training block been more consistent and seamless.

‘But it showed me that the Olympics could defi nitely happen if I just had the right race in the trials.’.

It would be a lovely story that she had watched Paula Radcliffe’s exploits and been inspired to go and do likewise. But it didn’t happen like that.

‘Growing up, at school I ran 800 - not very well - so I was always interested in watching the shorter distances. But in those days it was much more about track events in the big Olympic stadium than the marathon. ‘I’ve read Paula’s book [Paula, My story so ‘I’ve read Paula’s book [Paula, My story so training enough with the gels she planned training enough with the gels she planned far, 2004] which gives a good insight. I to use. don’t recall watching at the time I think it’s more something I tuned into when I started ‘The fi rst bit felt easy and within myself but my own that marathon journey, as I tried to I felt sick from miles 16-18 and I couldn’t learn from other marathon athletes. take any bottles or fuel and my pace just ‘But Paula is certainly an inspiration. From dropped off. reading her book, you can see that she had a lot of grit and determination so I’ve ‘I tried self-talk, mantras, everything but the certainly taken account of it and learned negative talk became overwhelming and I from her story.’ was so glad to see the fi nish line.

Fellow Scot Sarah Inglis fi nished in sixth place in 2:34.09 after a tough time in the latter stages of the race - but that time gives Sarah a qualifying standard for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

One of the pre-race favourites, Sarah didn’t think a crowded mass-marathon would have helped her.

‘I had a similar experience in Arizona (her debut of 2:29:41) with no crowds. I don’t think it made much of a difference..

‘If it had been my fi rst race I’d have said never again.

Sarah put her experience down to not ‘My grandmother said she felt so sad for me when she saw me sat on the curb at the end.’

Robbie Simpson was sixth in the Men’s race in 2:15.26.

In a marvellous story-line, the men’s race was won by 39-year-old Chris Thompson in a new PB to book his ticket.

*When the dust settled after the trials, Steph Davis and Steph Twell were named in the women’s marathon selection to join Callum Hawkins. Congratulations to all three and their families and coaches !

FOR GREAT... PREPARE

03 OCTOBER 2021

LOCH [ 03 \ 10 \ 21 ]

Time to set your goals for 2021? Sign up now to start your journey towards one of the most epic running festivals in the world. However you make it. Make it yours.

SIGN UP NOW

LOCHNESSMARATHON.COM

Project makes strides

Photo by Bobby Gavin

Seven athletes were added to an extended scottishathletics Marathon Project last winter – including the likes of Sarah Inglis, Mhairi Maclenan, Jamie Crowe and Jonny Glen.

The programme is now picking up pace again after a long spell where the lack of road race opportunities ensured many athletes missed genuine competition. It originally launched in 2019 with highly regarded coach Robert Hawkins in the lead role.

The clear idea behind the Marathon Project was to try and develop athletes at that distance and improve standards to an extent to increasing the marathon cohort within the Team Scotland selected for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.

At that stage, 15 athletes were given support and asked to work with their coaches towards Birmingham. The Team Scotland qualifying standards are now confi rmed as 2:15.12 for men and 2:36.49 for women.

The Marathon Project sits alongside six other athletes who receive support from other sources – Scottish National Record holders Callum Hawkins and Steph Twell as well as Robbie Simpson, Derek Hawkins, Steph Davis and Para World medallist, Derek Rae.

So there are effectively now 28 athletes receiving support (from various sources) with marathon improvement very much on their minds.

One of those is Canada-based Inglis who went within 11 seconds of the GB qualifying standard for the Olympics in Japan with a debut run of 2:29.41 in Arizona last month. Unfortunately, Sarah missed out on Japan with a sixth-placed fi nish in the trials at Kew Gardens.

The seven new names on our Marathon Programme are:

Women: Sarah Inglis (Lothian RC), Mhairi Maclennan (Inverness Harriers)

Men: Adam Craig (Inverclyde AC), Jamie Crowe (Central AC), Sean Chalmers (Inverness Harriers), James Donald (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers), Jonny Glen (Inverclyde AC). Glen for his part took on his fi rst-ever Half Marathon in a small event at the East Fortune motorcycle circuit course in March and came home in 65:40 - a strong run on a very windy day in East Lothian.

‘Joining the Marathon Project is a great opportunity for me to progress my career forward,’ said the Inverclyde AC athlete, silver medallist at the Lindsays National XC last February with race winner, Central AC’s Jamie Crowe, also now on the programme.

‘My strengths have always lay in the long distance. I’ve been seen as a potential asset to the project after posting some decent times over 5k and 10k.

‘To be given the opportunity is really good, especially with the calibre of the group including Callum Hawkins and my team-mate Adam Craig. Scotland has a strong marathon group. ‘Obviously it is for my benefi t but seeing Team Scotland progress at distance running, or mid-distance at the moment, is a huge deal.’ good to see the Marathon Project adding more depth and trying to adjust according to very diffi cult circumstances over the past year – with very few quality races available.

‘The 2020 National XC champions, Jamie Crowe and Mhairi Maclennan, are now involved and the 2019 men’s champion, Adam Craig, stepped up to international level and made a solid debut at the World Half Marathon Champs in 2020 (62nd place in 63:12)

‘Sarah Inglis has been working towards the marathon for some time now and her debut in Arizona was promising – going very close to the Olympic marathon standard (2:29:30) with a run of 2:29:41.

‘So there are some encouraging signs and we would stress that we see the Marathon Project as a medium to long-term programme geared to hopefully raising the overall standard of marathon running by Scots over a few years.

‘The nature of the marathon and the training loads involved often means athletes develop at different rates so we need a fl exible approach.’

Mhairi Maclennan said: ‘It would be an amazing honour to compete for Scotland at a Commonwealth Games in the UK. That would be more than a dream come true.

Photo by Justin Britton