Sunderland’s Aly Dixon would be happy to be described as one of our most experienced runners. She has a PB of 2:29:06 and represented GB at the 2016 Olympics in Rio where she finished as the best-placed Briton in 28th place, with a time of 2:34:11.

She also won the Brighton Marathon in 2011 and narrowly missed out on a spot in the London 2012 team, so she’s no stranger to chasing the Olympic dream. She’s a staunch supporter of her home club, Sunderland Striders and regularly runs for them.

As Aly says herself – she’s been running longer than some of the new contenders in the GB marathon scene have been alive. Still, she’s clearly not done yet. Last year Aly decided to mix things up a bit and headed to Boston for the first time to take on those infamous hills – our first GB elite in that race for a long time.

Shortly after, she took on her first ultra at the 50km World Championship in Brasov. She left Romania with a gold medal and a World Record time of 3:07:20.

Aly chatted to us about her success in 2019, her running bucket list, why her focus has shifted over the last year and what she thinks about the up-and-coming talent on the women’s marathon scene

Fast Running: What were you most excited by in your running/training last year?

Aly Dixon: Probably the change in focus from constantly chasing times. I’ve spent the last 15 years chasing times across all distances and 10 years chasing marathon times. Last year was about doing something different and enjoying it.

I ran Boston as my spring marathon as it’s not a course where you chase times. It’s a tough, challenging route. To prepare for the hills I did a lot of bike work on the turbo and then gradually added in run sessions. I was never stressing over not hitting as pace on tempos – I’d just run comfortably hard over routes with a similar type of elevation profile i.e downhill, undulating, uphill, downhill. My main aim was to get my body strong enough to conquer the course, not to chase a fast time.

I took the same focus into training for the 50k. Don’t worry about pace, get strong enough to hold a good effort over the distance. Because the distance was an unknown to me I didn’t have any goal pace going into the race (apart from I wanted to beat the British record).

I knew I was in shape when I did a 10 mile tempo over an undulating route in Font Romeu and ran 58.xx. I resisted the temptation to compare it to when I ran the same route at the same point before I ran my marathon PB (later checked, I was only 2 seconds slower).

Come race day I just set out at an effort level I thought I could sustain for the distance and didn’t worry about pace. In the past I would have been dictated by the watch and let that tell me if I was too fast or slow. The new approach seems to have worked well!

FR: What are you most excited by looking to the year ahead?

AD: Just continuing to have fun and to do some new races which I’ve not had the chance to do in the past. I’m running Tokyo marathon in March . It will be my first time in Japan and I’m really excited for it. I’m writing a bucket list of races for the year which I hope will end with Now Galen on New Years Eve.

FR: What are your key goals?

AD: Obviously it’s an Olympic year so everyone assumes that will be every athlete’s big goal for the year but for me it’s not my main focus.

I’m quite realistic when I say it’s a possibility but a big long shot. I believe I can run the qualifying time but I don’t think I am capable of running a 2.26/7 which I think is what it will take to make top two at London.

Obviously with no preselections for the women it’s still all to play for and you could finish 2nd Brit in 2.29.30 and make the team over one of the current 2.26/27 but I don’t really see that happening. I’m very lucky to have had my chance in 2016. If I did make it again it would be a massive bonus, but if I don’t then it’s not the end of the world and would take nothing away from my prior achievements. So to answer the question, my big goal is to get a 4th win at Blaydon Race.

FR: What do you think about the women’s marathon scene in GB at the moment?

AD: It’s so good to see the girls coming through. For the last 4-5 years I thought my 2:29 was quite special. It has now been made to look pedestrian! I’ve said for a while now that we were due a resurgence. Obviously I’m not naive enough to say that footwear has nothing to do with it, but even with a pair of Next% on you need to be able to propel your body forward at that pace.

The shoes don’t do the running, they just help with a couple of percent. On a personal level I’m glad that we have four girls running 2:27 or faster. Although my PB is nearly 3 years old now, whilst I was still one of the fastest I was still wanting to chase teams.

Now that the girls are pushing me down the rankings I can justify to myself why I’m not putting a major focus on the Tokyo Olympics and start to take a bit of a back seat. I’ve had a good innings. It is time to hand over to the young ones now. I’ve been running longer than some of the girls have been alive!

FR: Which GB runner are you most excited by at the moment?

AD: I think Steph Twell still has more to come over the marathon. She’s a strong, reliable athlete and my ‘safe bet’ money for a Tokyo place would go on her. She’s got the speed background and still quite recently, but also a great aerobic engine. Jess Piasecki too – if she can make the start line she’ll smash it again.

Her run at Florence, especially her second half was phenomenal. We’ve got a few who have made big jumps recently but are still capable of breaking that 2:30 barrier – Elsey Davies, Natasha Cockram, Jenny Spink, Tish Jones

FR: Why do you think the GB women had such a great year last year?

AD: I think a few things combined for it. Firstly, it was a pre-olympic year so everyone chases the qualifying standard so that they can go into London with the security of having the time in the bag and just focus just on the actual race. Added to that, Charlie Purdue running 2:25 in London gave everyone confidence – it created an ‘if she can do it, I can’ attitude.

There are more younger athletes now doing the distance. In the past it’s been older athletes. People would wait until their early 30s to move up and by then their legs would be deadened from years of hard training and their basic speed on the decline.

Now runners are focusing on the distance from their early-mid twenties and using the freshness to their advantage. They aren’t coming from nowhere, the top girls still have a good 10+ years of training behind them. You can’t expect to come to the sport in your 20s and within a couple of years be producing world class times, you need to do the background work and put the foundations down first.

FR: Who do you think is flying under the radar but destined to surprise everyone this year?

AD: I’m not quite sure. I think Elsey Davies (she’ll kill me for saying that) has a lot of room for improvement. I’m not saying she’s going to smash a 2:25/26 but I think she can get down to 2.28. Mind, I thought that about Jess and look what happened!

FR: What do you think about the decision not to preselect anyone for the olympic team?

AD: At first I was shocked. I was convinced a 2:25 and 3rd and 4th fastest brit ever (run by Charlotte Purdue and Jess Piasecki) was enough but when you read the selection policy they didn’t quite fulfil the pre-selection criteria.

Running the qualifying time was only one of the criteria. With Jess’s result being her first completed marathon, she has no championship form. Also, whilst 2:25 is fast for us, it’s probably still not medal/top 8 potential – though with Japanese climate who knows?

Charlie is obviously in great shape with a 68 minute half marathon performance recently but I guess a DNF at her last 2 championships may have gone against her, even though she bounced back from both of those disappointments with great performances. From talking to Jess I think she knew that a one off fast time wouldn’t be enough.

It’s going to make for a great London. There is still all to play for and this situation keeps the door open for those girls who are running around the 2:30 time just now. It will be difficult for those who haven’t run the time prior to London as they are going to have to take the risk to run fast, as well as taking risks to try and make top two Brits. Those who have the time already can sit back a bit and focus on position – similar to my situation in 2016.

FR: Will you be running London Marathon and if so, are you willing to share your goal?

AD: As I’ve said, I’m running Tokyo Marathon (World Major) in March. I’m not going in chasing times, I want to enjoy the experience without stressing about splits. If I do manage to run fast enough to beat the qualifying time for the Olympics I will give London a go. If not, I have offered to be a pacemaker for the elites and will hopefully help a few people set some PBs.

FR: What shoes do you train in?

AD: I do my everyday mileage in Nike Pegasus and use either Zoom Fly or Streak 7 for faster work.

FR: What shoes do you race in?

AD: For my “A” races – 10k + I’ve worn Vaporfly 4%. I prefer those to the NEXT% but I’m trying to get used to the NEXT% because I need every little bit of help possible at my age! On the very rare occasion I’d do a 5k or less I would wear Streak 7.

FR: Are there any supporters that gave helped you over the last year?

AD: My only official sponsor is Nike, where I’m on the final year of my contract. I am an ambassador for Revvies caffeine strips and they have been very generous to help me financially towards the cost of my current training camp in Kenya.

FUT gym in Gosforth have been invaluable with their S&C assistance. Garmin were kind enough to send me a new watch to help with training for the 50k and chia charge have supplied me with some products.

Everything else is self financed but I get a lot of help and support from some key individuals who help to keep me on track when things may be tough or stop me from getting carried away when things are going well.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you

The post Tokyo calling for GB stalwart Dixon appeared first on Fast Running.

She came, she saw, she conquered

There is only one place to start this week. Aly Dixon gave a phenomenal performance for her first, and judging by her social media last, 50k ultra, claiming herself a new world record! Dixon broke Frith Van de Merwe’s 30-year long record by 1 minute 19 seconds to win the 50km World Championships in Brasov, Romania.

It was a British 1-2 as Helen Davies join Dixon on the podium as the Ipswich Jaffa athlete also went inside the previous British record with 3:09:16. Dan Nash picked up a bronze medal and was the leading British male.

The British women walked away with a gold medal ahead of USA and Austria. The British men’s team also made the podium with a bronze medal. More details can be seen in our report here.

50km 3:07:20
World Champion
World record*
European record*
British record*
Sunderland Strollers club record
Ultra running over and out!!

*pending ratification pic.twitter.com/DzgaVeKsI1

— Aly Dixon (@alydixon262) September 1, 2019

British success at UTMB

The Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) is one of the highlights of the world ultra distance calendar. The standout British performances were the three athletes who finished inside the top 10. Tom Owens in his first 100 mile race finished 4th overall with a massive smile on his face as he crossed the line in 22:04:29. Andrew Symonds hiked his way down the finishing straight to finish 5th overall in 22:35:15.

Beth Pascall finished 5th in the women’s race in 26:26:48 having been in 3rd overall. Pascall gave the race a real crack and suffered in the second half but after finishing 4th in the Western States earlier in the year it’s been a fantastic 2019 for the Brit.

Harry Jones finished 15th in 24:03:53 overtaking 10 people between the final checkpoint and the finish for a storming closing section. Experienced ultra athlete Paul Giblin was the other British athlete to make the top 30 finishing 24th in 24:53:30.

The race was won by Pau Capell of Spain in 20:19:07 who led from the gun to take a fantastic front running victory. A group of American men chased hard but could not deal with the pace set down by Capell. In the women’s race Courtney Dauwalter came from behind to claim a stunning victory in 24:34:26 which was her also finish 21st overall.

In the 101km CCC race Holly Page finished 9th in 13:56:57 having struggled with stomach issues from the start of the race but she finished first Brit male or female. In the 145km TDS race Sophie Grant finished 11th in 26:58:53.

Credit: UTMB

Around the oval

At the inaugural Tonbridge Twilight Invitational, conditions were perfect for fast times. There were some impressive performances all the way from 800m to 300m.

The men’s 800m field was filled with high quality athletes battling it out. Mark English took the win, crossing the finish line in 1:45.98, just dipping under that 1:46 marker. English was shortly followed by Brighton Pheonix’s U23 athlete, Spencer Thomas, in a personal best time of 1:46.08. The bronze medal position went to Guy Learmonth in 1:46.31. The start of the results from a night of fast running!

The women’s 800m also had a strong field. Rebecca Mehra claimed gold with 2:02.99. It was Mari Smith who took the silver medal in 2:03.40, and Sarah MacPherson in 2:04.66.

The legendary 4-minute barrier was broken by two athletes in the men’s mile. Elliot Giles ran a very impressive race to win himself not only the gold medal, but a new PB. Giles dipped over the line in 3:56.47, placing him 7th in the overall men’s mile rankings in the UK for 2019 so far. Whilst James West was just over a second outside of his PB, he still gave an impressive race to claim second place. West was followed by Jeremy Dempsey in 4:00.88, just outside of the 4-minute barrier, but claiming a PB no less!

Brave performance from Norman

Phil Norman and Ieuan Thomas attended the meeting to have a final crack at the World Championship mark in the steeplechase of 8:29.00. Norman gave it everything and narrowly missed out finishing in 8:29.54 with Thomas crossing the line in 8:39.15. It remains to be seen whether Norman will be considered for selection to join Zac Seddon on the plane to Doha.

Over  3000m the performances continued to be high quality. The women’s race was won by Muriel Coneo Paredes in 9:10.27. The columbian middle distance Olympic athlete took a massive chunk of her previous time over the distance. The U23 Bracknell runner Amelia Quirk proved her strength, crossing the line in second place, just behind Coneo Paredes in 9:12.21. After suffering from heat exhaustion in last weeks British Champs, Kate Avery bounced back with an impressive performance at the Tonbridge race, clocking 9:23.23 and claiming third place.

The men continued to show their strength over the longer distance. The victory went to the Shaftesbury Barnet athlete, Kieran Clements, in 8:07.59. Clements did well to claim his position, with Ricky Harvie crossing the line just behind him in 8:08.72. To round of the men’s podium, Jack Gray took third place in 8:09.72, proving this event is one to put in the race diary for next year.

10k’s galore

10k’s were plentiful this weekend, with some very impressive elite performances at Cardiff, Wilne, Wigan, and the Edgar Nicholls 10,000m.

Hayley Carruthers gave a brave performance at the Edgar Nicholls 10,000m, conquering the 10,000m distance and achieving a lifetime best of 33:03. Adam Stokes of Bristol & West AC was the first male to cross the line, taking the win in 32:01 in his 25.5 lap debut. Stokes was closely followed by Adam Peacock in 32:29 and Trevor Osborne 32:41.

Also taking place on the track at the time of publishing is the increasingly popular Ladywell 10000 with seven races taking place throughout the afternoon and evening. Keep an eye on our social media and @kent_ac on twitter for updates.

Hayley Carruthers. Credit: Stephanie Garstin

The Wigan 10k was another race that saw some noteworthy performances. Philip Robertson was the first male to cross the line in 30:44, a massive 55 second PB, improving on his performance from last year’s Trafford 10k. Only 6 seconds behind Robertson in 30:55 and just 29 seconds off his own personal best was Ben Johnson from Southport Waterloo. The third male athlete in 31:45 to cross the line was Daniel Cliffe.

There were also some impressive times ran in the women’s race. Eleanor Whyman-Davis took home the gold medal in a time of 34:57, gaining herself a 4 minute 27 second lead. The second lady to finish was Carnel Edwards in 39:24.

In Derby, the Wilne 10k didn’t disappoint for some more rapid results. Alastair Watson of Notts AC took home the winning title in 30:55, a cracking time giving him a 18 second lead ahead of Freddie Hessian. Hessian and Charlie Brisley battled it out all the way through the line, with only a second separating the two runners. Hessian finished in second place in 31:13 and Brisley in 31:14. A cracking run from both athletes.

In the women’s race, Notts AC got to the top of the podium once again. Samantha Harrison ran an impressively strong race finishing in 33:29, earning herself a 3 minute 18 second PB! Behind Harrison in 35:08 was Calli Thackery with a seasons best. To complete the top 3 women across the line, Sarah Lowery claimed an 11 second lifetime best of 35:33. Some very strong running in Wilne.

At yet another 10k of the weekend, fast times were present. The Framingham 10k saw some impressive performances. The overall title went to Framlingham Flyer’s Andrew Rooke who truly did fly. Rooke took home gold in a time of 31:40, ahead of James Patterson of Ipswich. Patterson crossed the line in 32:45 and was followed by Callum Bowen-Jones in 34:28. The first woman home was Alice Heather-Hayes of Hadleigh Hares AC in 39:42.

Arter and Smith claim Cardiff titles

The Cardiff 10k returned for yet another year, with an even more impressive than ever British and Irish elite field. The largest 10km race in Wales saw a stacked women’s and men’s field battle it out for a place on the podium on a beautiful day. In the women’s race, the gold medal was retained by last year’s winner and Cardiff’s own, Charlotte Arter, in 32:45. Arter was followed by Hoka One One athlete and this year Inter-counties cross country champion, Jenny Nesbitt, in a time of 32:52. Rounding off the top 3 female finishers was Clara Evans in 34:06.

The race featured a high quality men’s field boasting plenty of sub 30-minute PB’s. In total, 4 men dipped under the barrier with a close battle all the way to the line. The win went to the U23 athlete, Jake Smith, in a time of 29:30. Smith equaled his fastest ever time over the distance. In second position, and only 3 seconds behind Smith (29:33), was another one of Cardiff’s own, Matt Clowes. Ciaran Lewis was the third male to cross the line, earning himself a 2 second PB of 29:45.

Arter on her way to Cardiff victory

Wood dominates Maidenhead Half

Over the half marathon distance quick times were seen at Bedford and Maidenhead. Ash Harrell took the win in 1:09:32 at Bedford Half ahead of Michael Waddington (71:17) in second and Alex Metcalfe (73:14) in third. The women’s winning, Emma Hodson, crossed the line in 1:20.32, just 30 seconds off her personal best. Helen Bleeze was second in 83:10 and Armana Rai third in 84:17.

The Maidenhead Half featured an international masters match age group athletes from the home nations. Katherine Wood of Sale Harriers Manchester ran an impressively strong race, running herself to a 1 minute 46 second PB of 1:15:25 ahead of Annabel Gummow (76:11) and Eilidh Bell (77:54). Rob Corney claimed the men’s title in 1:07:53 ahead of Neil Kevern (68:50) and Paul Piper (69:45).

High quality racing at Mid Cheshire Summer 5km

The end of the week kick started with some impressively fast performances in the Mid Cheshire Summer 5k. This fast and flat road race had plenty of PB’s from both men and women.

The women’s race saw an impressive 24 women dive below the 18-minute mark over the distance. In first place, was the Atlanta-based athlete, Emily Kearney, in a time of 16:09, a huge 41 second road 5k personal best. Following Kearney in 16:30, was the Leigh Harriers & AC’s Abigail Howarth, with yet another lifetime best, 15 second faster than her previous time. To conclude the women’s podium and add another PB by 10 seconds to the list, Eleanor Bolton crossed the line in 16:44. Some very noteworthy performances.

The men’s race was a similar, impressive story. Charlie Hulson of Liverpool Harriers & AC took home the gold title in a time of 14:21, just 4 seconds ahead of second place. Hulson was shortly followed by the Vale Royal athlete, Chris Perry, in 14:25, a time equal to his personal best set in Armagh earlier this year. The Stockport runner, Andrew Davies completed the men’s top 3, claiming bronze in 14:33. The men’s race saw a total of 15 runners dip underneath the 15-minute barrier.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Dixon breaks 50km WR and top racing on the track and road – weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.

Taking the lead from the start, the 2:29 marathoner ran a world record 3:07:20 and was followed home by her compatriot Helen Davies in 3:09:16. It was an impressive display of front running from Dixon, who entered the event in fine form.

Beating Frith Van de Merwe’s 3:08:39 from 1989 (set as a split in the 56km Two Oceans race in South Africa) by over one minute, it’s an exciting start to a hopefully long ultra-marathon career for the Sunderland Stroller. The British record of 3:15:43, set by Sue Harrison in 2010, was also smashed by both Dixon and Davies.

In warm conditions, topping out at 24 degrees, Dixon made her recent stint at altitude in Font Romeu really count. The pace set meant the north-east marathoner would have gone through her usual 42.2km distance in around 2:37.

There as also a team gold for the British team to add to the two individual medals.

Dan Nash was third in the men’s race in an excellent time of 2:49:01, which was a new British record beating the old mark of 2:53.21 set by the superb Jeff Norman back in 1985. Nash led the men’s team to a bronze medal in a competitive event with the South African and German trios ahead of the British runners.

Strong British teams

With British Athletics managing to get such high calibre athletes into the squad, medals were expected, but the women’s team securing a 1-2 and Julie Briscoe completing the team standings in a fine ninth position, was enough for team gold. Briscoe ran 3:22:57, Hannah Oldroyd 3:26:00 for 12th and Dani Nimmock 3:30:22 for 20th place after a difficult last couple of laps.

The men’s team, led home by Nash, were also high up into rankings. In a race won by Iraitz Arrospide of Spain in 2:47:42, there was only six seconds separating the top 13 runners at halfway.

Paul Martelletti was 14th in 2:55:39 and Alex Milne 15th in 2:56:20 to complete the scoring three and secured a team medal of bronze.

Brighton based Kevin Rojas was the next Brit in 3:01:22 (20th) and Lee Grantham isn’t listed in the results so hopefully is alright.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Aly Dixon is World 50km Champion & new world record holder appeared first on Fast Running.

The Championships, taking place on the 1 September 2019, will be the first edition of the event since 2016, when Great Britain & Northern Ireland won women’s team gold and men’s team silver on that occasion.

Hannah Oldroyd (Ribble Valley Harriers) was a member of that gold medal winning team three years ago, and returns to the fold in 2019, joined by four women seeking to recreate the success of 2016.

Oldroyd will be joined by Olympian Aly Dixon who makes her first international appearance over the distance. After representing her country at World, European and Commonwealth level, this will be her first outing over the 50km distance compared to the marathon [42km].

Wakefield’s Julie Briscoe, Danielle Nimmock (City of Norwich), Helen Davies (Ipswich Jaffa) – the latter revised her marathon personal best to 2:34.08 in Brighton last month – complete the women’s quintet.

The men’s team includes Paul Martelletti (Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets) and Lee Grantham (East Cheshire) who have previously competed in British squads.

Dan Nash (Cardiff) and Alex Milne (Enfield & Haringey) are both selected after lowering their career bests over the marathon distance in recent weeks, posting times of 2:18.51 and 2:20.08 respectively. Kevin Rojas (Brighton & Hove) will also receive his first British vest after the call-up.

The step up

The team has a good mix of experienced ultra runners who have competed over the 100km distance and promising new comers to the discipline like Dixon.

“It may only be a handful of extra miles,” says Fast Running ultra running expert Robbie Britton, “but how you approach the race can be quite difference. Fuelling takes on a much larger role and the risk of totally running out of energy is there for the final section.

“It’s really exciting to see athletes like Aly Dixon and the standard of ultra running worldwide is rising. Even Des Linden, last year’s Boston Marathon winner, was talking in a podcast about stepping up. Maybe we’ll see some British stars with great marathon speed doing excellent things in the ultra world. It’s happening already.”

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Aly Dixon amongst athletes selected for IAU 50km World Champs appeared first on Fast Running.

This afternoon should be a time to relax and prepare mentally for the task awaiting you in the morning. It is often said all the hard work is done, but there are still ways to hamper your chances for tomorrow. We asked some of the best marathon minds around on how they manage race day and what advice they could share.

Below are tips from a 2:09 marathoner, this year’s Manchester marathon winner, England and GB internationals, top marathon coaches and a pastry expert from Sussex who ran 2:18 at Brighton already this year.

Don’t get over excited

We all hear it, everyone tells you not to start too quickly. Easier said than done in the excitement of a big city marathon, but maybe the voices of those more experienced ringing in your ears might help out.

England’s 2:38 marathoner Dani Nimmock told us that  “Despite how good you will feel in the early miles stay controlled and take on carbs so you can finish strong then brace yourself for the worst so when fatigue hits you’re prepared to fight through it!”

With a 2:28 marathon Sonia Samuels is one of Great Britain’s best ever and has an excellent record of running well over the marathon distance. “After a taper week or two your legs will feel raring to go” suggests Samuels, “but stick to your race plan and pace, resisting the temptation to push too early. Be ready to push at 20 miles!”

Photo: Virgin Money London Marathon

Don’t get carried away downhill

The slightly downhill early miles of the London Marathon are mentioned by both 2:09 marathoner and former London winner Mike Gratton, as well as recent 2:18 man Paul Navesey.  Other races have fast starts too and it might be tempting to “bank” some time for the second half but coach Gratton highlighted that “in London, even effort might mean a slightly faster first four miles as it is overall down hill, but then it is important to get into a groove at goal pace.”

Crawley AC’s Navesey says to “accept the easier miles earlier on and save the extra energy for the final push after 20 miles.” Several mention the importance of being strong later on in the race with Gratton saying “getting the pace right will have the psychological advantage of passing fast starters from 18 miles on.”

Coach of the AB Training group Allison Benton goes beyond the controlled start and suggests to “know your honest, true target pace” and then “stick closely to that pace for at least the first 18 miles, no matter how easy it feels.”

Winchester AC’s Louise Damen speaks from experience when she says ” as you have tapered, carbo-loaded and are full of race day adrenaline, it’s all too easy to run the first 10km or so too fast.” The 2:30 marathoner insists “don’t fall into the trap of trying to ‘bank’ time earlier on as you will burn through your glycogen stores at a quicker rate and this could make the final few miles pretty challenging”.

I can still hear the words of coach Tom Craggs ringing in my ears when my watch pinged a 5:20 mile at the start of the Valencia marathon. “Start easy, you’ll feel good but don’t get carried away”. That made the last few miles a lot harder work than they needed to be.

Adapt to the race in front of you

As discussed by myself in a recent article, you need to run the race you’re in. Don’t get too caught up worrying about last year’s times, that your club mate is ahead of you or where “Bob from the track” thinks you should be at mile seven. Focus internally on your own effort and do the best you can on the day.

Benton, coach to a host of strong marathoners like Navesey, England’s James Westlake and Kevin Rojas, reminds us to “adapt the target pace in advance based on the expected weather – be honest and ruthless about the impact of heat,” and don’t calculate your gaol pace on “‘what you think you can do because the crowds will inspire me'”.

RELATED: Run the race you’re in

RELATED: PB conditions forecast for London Marathon weekend

“Focus on your own race. Dont worry about what the others around you are doing.” is sage advice from Great Britain’s Aly Dixon. “Theres always going to be other people going through good patches and bad patches so don’t run your race by them. Do what YOU need to do.” The 2:29 marathoner should know, having raced in championships across the globe and having just finished 16th at the tough Boston Marathon.

Fight and smile to the finish

There’s no hiding it, the final miles can be tough, but prepare yourself for them. If you race well, pace sensibly early on and fuel well then those final few miles can be a glorious series of overtaking manoeuvres to a personal best.

“The race really starts at 20 miles so keep your powder dry until that point and then push on” says 2:16 Lincoln Wellington man Aaron Scott. “Trust your training and don’t be held back by any pre-conceived time limits.”

RELATED: Aaron Scott manages 120 mile weeks alongside full-time work

Photo: Cardiff Half Marathon

Recent Manchester marathon winner Jenny Spink tells us “in the last 10km, when it’s feeling tough, imagine a training run route that you have done time and again and tell yourself that you can do this.”.

This is backed up by Professor Andy Lane of Birmingham University. The celebrated sports psychologist suggests “focus a mental loop on the runners feet ahead of you; imagine they are running your feet.” Not sure what Eluid Kipchoge should do about that though?

“For many runners it’s the relationship wth fatigue and anxiety. Both are normal feelings for a marathon as the goalie challenging,” continues the academic. “Accept that fatigue is not negative, but how it should feel.” Know that everyone is feeling that fatigue and you’re just going to cope with it better than those around you, you will excel when it gets tough.

Bristol & West’s Spink uses distraction techniques when it’s tough.

She adds: “This could be saying names of loved ones over and over in your head or focusing on trying to overtake someone just ahead or getting to the next landmark.”

If you break down the task at hand, just dealing with one mile, one kilometre, one lamppost at a time, then it makes it more manageable chunks for your mind to work with. Even one step at a time if need be.

Enjoy the day

Last, but not least, enjoy the day. This is what all the early mornings, hard miles and tired legs have been for. Make sure that when you are on that start line you look around and wish those around you the best. You are all united by one goal of doing your best over 26.2 miles. It’s fun, I promise.

If it gets tough later on, then smile. Science has even told us that smiling helps, but you don’t need science to put a big grin across your face. Embrace your inner Cheshire cat and smile to those cheering from the side lines. Feel the energy of the crowd and use it when you really need it. Control those emotions early on, but don’t be afraid to let them push you on to the final few miles.

“Dare to believe. You have done the hard work, believe that you can do it!” is Jenny Spinks’s final piece of excellent advice.

RELATED: Smiling can make you a better runner

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Marathon race day advice from the experts appeared first on Fast Running.

Defending champions Yuki Kawauchi and Des Linden head a stacked elite field for the 123rd edition of the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15.

Japan’s Kawauchi and USA’s Linden were the surprise 2018 winners as they battled through the rain and blustery winds while many of the favourites faltered in the far from ideal racing conditions.

Kawauchi leads a formidable men’s field that includes 15 men who have run sub 2:08 marathons. Joining the Japanese star for Monday’s race are former Boston champions Geoffrey Kirui of Kenya, Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, Lemi Berhanu of Ethiopia and 2012 winner Wesley Korir of Kenya.

Among those chasing the former champions are 2:04 marathoners Lawrence Cherono of Kenya, a two-time Amsterdam champion, and Ethiopians Sisay Lemma and Solomon Deksisa. The Japanese pair of Hiroto Inoue and Hayato Sonoda also race.

From Eritrea, 2015 World Championships marathon gold medalist and 2016 New York City champion Ghirmay Ghebreslassie will be in contention as will countryman Zersenay Tadese, a former world record holder in the half marathon.

American athletes include third place finisher last year, Shadrack Biwott, Olympians Dathan Ritzenhein, Abdi Abdirahman, and Jared Ward, as well as Jeffery Eggleston, Elkanah Kibet, Timothy Ritchie, Scott Fauble, Aaron Braun and Brian Shrader.

Among those making their Boston debuts are Rotterdam winner Kenneth Kipkemoi of Kenya, compatriot Benson Kipruto and Beirut winner Mohamed Reda El Aaraby of Morocco.

Also joining the field is British Olympian Scott Overall, who has a best of 2:10:55 from 2011, and 2:06 Kenyan marathoners Felix Kandie, Festus Talam and Philemon Rono.

In the women’s elite race, organisers have assembled an star field that includes 15 athletes who have run inside 2:25, 11 of whom have personal best times under 2:23:00.

Photo: Boston Marathon

Leading the way is 2018 winner Linden, 2017 Boston champion Edna Kiplagat of Kenya, 2015 Boston winner Caroline Rotich of Kenya and 2012 Boston champion Sharon Cherop of Kenya.

Challenging the Boston champions are 2:19 Ethiopian marathoners Aselefech Mergia, Mare Dibaba and Worknesh Degefa.

Last year’s second and third place finishers, Sarah Sellers of the United States and Krista DuChene of Canada return. American athletes also set to race in Boston include Jordan Hasay, third in 2017, Sara Hall, Lindsay Flanagan, Becky Wade, Sarah Crouch and Sally Kipyego.

Photo: Chicago Marathon

Joining them will be a trio of sub 2:23 Ethiopians: Meskerem Assefa, Belaynesh Oljira and Marta Megra.

Olympian Aly Dixon, who ran her best of 2:29:06 in London two years ago, leads the British hopes in Boston, while Ireland’s Fionnuala McCormack makes her return to the marathon looking to improve on her 2:31:22 best from the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Full elite men’s field

Full elite women’s field

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Boston Marathon: Yuki Kawauchi and Des Linden ready to defend crowns appeared first on Fast Running.

After victory at the Stockport 10 two weeks ago, Julie Briscoe continued her December winning streak with a 10th win at the Ward Green 6 in Barnsley on Sunday (December 23).

The 42 year-old, who was taking part in the Barnsley AC organised race for the 20th time, was the first woman across the line. The men’s race was won by Barnsley AC’s 16 year-old Scott Nutter on his first attempt. Could Scott start racking up the wins for the future?

Full results weren’t available at the time of publishing, but we tried, I promise you, we tried.

Aly Dixon and Adrian Bailes won The Ronnie Walker Saltwell 10k in Gateshead on Saturday (December 22).

The Saltwell Harriers organised event first took place in 1911 and is the oldest road race in England.

GB international marathoner Dixon, who is a regular participant and a winner in 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012 and 2011, returned on Saturday to win the women’s race for a sixth time in 36:19.

The 2:29 marathoner said on Twitter that “My best run was 2013 but my favourite was back in ’95 when I ran my very 1st 10k there finishing in 42.07!” Who would have guessed the illustrious career ahead back then?

View this post on Instagram

Last race of the year done . Overall it's been a pretty poor year with lots of interruptions and below par performances and there is nobody more disappointed in that than me. . But I've enjoyed getting back out and doing some of the local races, reminding myself why I love running and the running community. . I'm not done yet, I'll be back next year for more, hopefully some new events and even maybe a new distance!! . At the end of the day I just LOVE RUNNING!!! .

A post shared by Aly Dixon (@alydixon) on Dec 22, 2018 at 8:01am PST

First overall was Birtley AC Bailes in 32:06 ahead of Sunderland Harriers’ Oliver James in 32:08, while Middlesbrough & Cleveland Harriers Greg Jayasuriya complete the men’s podium in 32:18.

Second and third in the women’s race were Danielle Smythe of Heaton Harriers and Justina Heslop of Elswick Harriers in times of 37:32 and 38:50 respectively.

Local athletes from Hastings AC claimed the top four spots at the Christmas Pudding Dash 5 mile race in the East Sussex’s village of Pett.

George Pool was first across the line in 26:14 ahead of club mate Isaac Elamin 27:40.

Third overall and first woman was Grace Baker in 29:20. Lizzie Clarke also ran under 30 minutes clocking 29:35 to finish fourth overall and second woman.

At the RunThrough Greenwich Park 5k and 10k on Saturday, winners over the shorter distance were Grant Guttuso in 17:15 and Zoe Smith in 22:39, while Andrew McCaskill and Rebekah Edgar won the 10k race in 34:16 and 39:28 respectively.

The festively named The Scrooge in Cornwall was won by fell runner Sam Stead of Keswick AC in 55:44 and Tamara Beach of Les Croupiers in 1:02:37. Organised by Mud Crew events the trail event suggests fancy dress, if only to keep you warm in the tough conditions.

Meanwhile, at parkrun events across the UK on Saturday, five men ran under 15 minutes with Kieran Clements the quickest in 14:32.

Hayley Carruthers was the fastest woman after a 15:59 run the Walsall Arboretum parkrun.

The top 10 UK parkrun times can be found here.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Julie Briscoe and Aly Dixon among winners on the roads – weekend round-up appeared first on Fast Running.

Amy Cragg has followed fellow American Jordan Hasay in withdrawing from the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 7.

Cragg, who won the Chicago Marathon in 2014, informed organisers her withdrawal was due to a setback in her preparations for the race. The 34 year-old won bronze in the marathon at London 2017 and was among the leading entries.

Hasay, the second fastest American woman of all-time, pulled out of the marathon major last week due to a stress fracture in her heel bone.

Photo: Chicago Marathon

Laura Thweatt, who ran 2:25:38 at the London Marathon in 2017, along with Olympic triathlon champion Gwen Jorgensen now lead the US hopes, while Greek-American athlete Alexi Pappas is also set to make her exciting debut.

RELATED: Alexi Pappas is ready to make her marathon debut

Commonwealth Games sixth-place finisher Aly Dixon is the sole British runner competing in the women’s race, which is headed by Ethiopian athlete Roza Dereje, who clocked 2:19:17 to win the Dubai Marathon at the beginning of the year.

The men’s race still remains stacked with talent and includes defending champion Galen Rupp, British marathon record holder Mo Farah, and Boston Marathon champion, Yuki Kawauchi.

However, Britain’s Rob Mullet, who was set to make his marathon debut withdrew on Friday (September 28) due to an Achilles injury.

The 2016 steeplechase Olympian said on social media: “I was due to run my first marathon in a few weeks at the BOA Chicago Marathon but I have had to withdraw after aggravating my Achilles racing last week in Philadelphia.

“It is very disappointing, to say the least, after the last few months of training I put together. The build-up was something totally new for me. It was challenging and (mostly) enjoyable!”

RELATED: Mo Farah and Galen Rupp to battle at Chicago Marathon

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Amy Cragg latest American star to dropout of Chicago Marathon appeared first on Fast Running.

The world’s fastest ever woman over the half marathon will be looking to spoil Vivian Cheruiyot’s plans to make it two Simplyhealth Great North Run wins in three years on Sunday (September 9).

Joyciline Jepkosgei, the world record holder over the half marathon, has been added to the field for one of the world’s biggest half marathon this weekend and will be the main competition for Olympic champion Cheruiyot in the iconic race.

Kenyan Jepkosgei clocked her record time of 64:51 in the Prague Half Marathon last year where she also broke the world 10km, 15km and 20km records.

She went on to beat her own 10km world record time back in Prague three months later when she clocked 29.43 to become the first woman to ever break 30 minutes over 10km.

Betsy Saina, who finished fifth in last year’s race which was won by Mary Keitany, will also be in contention, with British hopes lying with Lily Partridge, Gemma Steel, Charlotte Purdue and Sunderland athlete Aly Dixon.

Steel was the highest placed GB runner last year, finishing sixth in 71:32, ahead of Partridge in seventh and Dixon in eighth place.

Irish athlete Emma Mitchell, who finished 17th over 10,000m at the European Championships, is also among the entries and will make her half-marathon debut.

Elsewhere, Hayley Carruthers aims to continue her impressive season in her first Great North Run ahead of England debut at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October.

RELATED: Hayley Carruthers is just getting started

The men’s race will see Mo Farah battle against Jake Robertson, Daniel Wanjiru and Stanley Biwott as he attempts to win a five consecutive title. The full men’s elite field can be found here.

Women’s elite field (subject to change)
201) Vivian Cheruiyot
202) Joyciline Jepkosgei
203) Betsy Saina
204) Brigid Kosgei
205) Misato Horie
206) Linet Masai
207) Stephanie Bruce
208) Yuka Hori
209) Andrea Seccafien
210) Emma Mitchell
211) Maria Larsson
212) Lily Partridge
213) Charlotte Purdue
214) Gemma Steel
215) Aly Dixon
216) Camille Buscomb
217) Emily Waugh
218) Julie Briscoe
219) Hayley Munn
220) Carla Martinho
221) Tracy Millmore
223) Naomi Mitchell
224) Heather Sellars
225) Carly Needham
226) Eva Vail
227) Rosamund Ponder
228) Hayley Carruthers
229) Nicola Squires
230) Michelle Nolan-Hood
231) Stacey Clusker
232) Sarah Murphy
233) Johanna O’Regan
234) Ashley Gibson
235) Sheena Logan
236) Sarah Winstone
237) Sarah Gruber
239) Alexa Joel
240) Victoria Mousley
241) Jacqueline Penn
242) Alice Smith
244) Georgia Campbell
245) Charlotte Ellis
246) Eilidh Bell

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Great North Run elite women’s field announced appeared first on Fast Running.

Aly Dixon may have been forced to withdraw from the European Championships marathon team after losing a battle against time to regain race fitness following injury, but the North Eastern star is confident her self-coaching will ensure she’ll be bouncing back soon.

The Sunderland Stroller has made running her full-time job since 2015, making ends meet doing online coaching, along with receiving some support from UKA, the Virgin London Marathon and Nike.

While the 39 year-old is set up for a post-elite athletics career (she has a degree in Sport and Exercise Development and post-graduate qualifications in Computer Based Information Systems and Sports Massage Therapy), her focus now is on regaining her enviable marathon speed to give herself one last shot at a major championships – namely the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

So what does one of Great Britain’s fastest ever marathon runners’ schedule look like, how does she retain fitness when injury strikes and what food does she rely upon to keep those much needed energy tanks well fuelled?

Training

We asked the Olympian and Commonwealth Games veteran: what does a ‘typical’ week’s training look like for during a marathon block?

“When I’m in marathon training I don’t follow a seven-day programme,” Dixon explains. “Instead I structure my training so that I do a hard day (track, tempo, long run) every third day.

“I’ve found that as I’m getting older I need the extra easy day in there to ensure I’m recovered enough to keep the quality of the hard days high. Gone are the days of doing a long run on Sunday, track on Tuesday and a tempo on a Thursday.”

A nine-day cycle which looks like this:
Day 1
AM easy 10 miles. Gym, PM easy 6 miles
Day 2
AM track session. PM recovery 6 miles (sometimes cross train if it’s been a really long or hard session on the morning)
Day 3
AM recovery 6 miles or 90min cycle. PM easy 8 miles
Day 4
AM steady 15. Gym. PM easy 6 miles
Day 5
AM tempo, either straight up to 13 miles or 15 miles split up as 3×5 miles or 5 miles, 4 miles, 3 miles, 2 miles, 1 mile. PM easy 6 miles
Day 6
AM recovery 6 miles or 90 min cycle. PM easy 8 miles
Day 7
AM easy 10. PM easy 6 miles
Day 8
long run. Anything between 23 and 26.2 miles
Day 9
REST

“I’ve always been a lover of high miles, but over the years I’ve come to realise that there is a limit to how much you can do without having a negative effect,” she says. “In my last two marathon blocks I ran over 130m weeks, which in all honesty is just crazy and there’s really no need.

“In reality, I know that 115 -120mpwk is more than enough, so now I try to keep to less than that. The cross-training helps as it allows me to flush the legs out after a hard day without the added impact. It also uses slightly different muscles, so it gives my hamstrings a break and gets my quads working a bit more.

“I have also linked up with the guys at Smart Fitness in Newcastle (a gym in the city) to help me with my strength training. It’s a really important part of my training, not only making me physically stronger, but more robust and helps to keep the niggles away.”

Photo: Virgin Money London Marathon

Self-coached

Dixon has been self-coached since leaving Liz Nuttall’s guidance in 2012. She acknowledges that, while it has paid off for her, it’s not always the easiest option.

“It does take a lot of courage and confidence to take on a self-coached approach, but as long as you have a good mentor or confidant you can pass ideas by then it’s quite liberating, and makes you take more ownership of your training and performance,” she explains.

“The hardest part is being totally honest with yourself and not just mindlessly following what you’ve written or skipping runs because you can.

“I’m often guilty of pushing too much and stepping over the fine line into the realms of over-training, whereas if you have a coach they would normally see those signs before you make the mistake. It can be hard at times but it has worked out well.

“I knew I’d made the right decision when I ran my first sub-33min 10k at Leeds that winter – that gave me the confidence that I did know what I was doing and I’ve never looked back since. I’ve smashed my PBs at all distances from 5k through to the marathon and made GB teams on road, track and cross country as well as becoming the British marathon champ twice and an Olympian.”

What specifically changed in her training once she made the decision to oversee it herself?

“I based my training on stuff that my dad used to do,” she reveals. “He was coached by Alan Storey back in the day and ran 2:21, so I spoke to Alan and got a few ideas. Funnily enough, they were very similar to what I had been thinking for a while – longer tempos, longer long runs, tempo mixed with reps and so on.

“The other thing that changed dramatically was my strength and conditioning. I started to work with a great S&C coach, Julie Twaddle, and she introduced me to proper lifting, not just bicep curls and leg presses like I had been doing! I kept in one cross-training recovery session a week too.”

Paula Radcliffe factor

Dixon also credits the support of the world’s fastest ever marathon runner, Paula Radcliffe, with a lot of her success.

“Paula has been a huge help over the last three years and if it wasn’t for her I’d not be where I am now,” she says. “I write out what I plan on doing over the next few weeks, before then sending it off to her, she looks over it and comes back with some suggestions.

“Sometimes it’s changing the order of the session or cutting some back. Her reply normally includes the words ‘more rest needed’! I have taken this on board though, and try to have a complete rest day every 7-10 days.

“We’ve also enjoyed racing for fun together too, at the Disney Paris half and the Sunderland half – and although there’s photo opportunities at Disneyland there’s no stopping when you are running with Paula!

“The Sunderland half was great because it’s in my home city, it’s organised by Steve Cram and Allison Curbishley, and it was a massive thing for the North East running community to have Paula there. It’s not everyday you get to race a world record holder on the streets where you’ve grown up, and I couldn’t let her beat me on my own turf, so I out-sprinted her over the final 100m.”

Photo: Virgin Money London Marathon

Cross-training

Although Dixon has clearly enjoyed racing and training hard over the years, she has had to take the rest day mantra on board more and more after a number of injury-induced disappointments over the years.

She has, however, as a result, learned the power of cross-training to maintain fitness before running training can resume.

Her venture into cross training initially started in an effort to make the London Olympics marathon team back in 2012, when she tried – ultimately in vain – to get fit in time to gain the qualifying time at the London marathon earlier that year.

RELATED: Anna Boniface: cross-training faux pas

“Although I had what was then the B standard, I knew I’d need a sub-2:30 time to make the team, so that’s what I aimed for,” she reveals. “I was in the pool aqua-running twice a day, seven days a week. It’s the most boring thing in the world having to ‘run’ up and down a pool for two and a half hours to replicate your long run.

“It worked though and I came out of the pool fitter than I had ever been. My first race back was a cold and snowy Saltwell 10k and I broke the course record by 40 seconds after only three weeks of land running. However, I then burnt myself out in Kenya, where I was running more than 125 miles a week and doing stupid sessions like 30×400.

“Recently I’ve started to enjoy cycling a bit more. I bought a new bike after my recent operation and was doing over 120 miles a week on it whilst I couldn’t run. I still try to get out on it once or twice a week, but that might change when winter hits.”

Nutrition

So how does the self-confessed high mileage fan ensure she’s properly fuelled?

Dixon explains how although her diet isn’t rocket science, she’s learnt a lot along the way: “I’m a creature of habit and my meals are usually based around the basics of some kind of meat, a healthy portion of vegetables and a carbohydrate source, normally rice, as I’m not a huge pasta fan.”

An average day would be:
Breakfast: porridge with chia seeds, almonds, raisins, seeds, berries, banana and cinnamon. I’m a big fan of the Whitworth fruit shots for a little bit of variety.

Snack: some kind of fruit and some nuts.

Lunch: a tuna/ham/egg salad, either as a sandwich or with a chunk of crusty bread. Or poached egg on a toasted bagel.

Snack: Maltloaf with jam or almond butter. Dark chocolate. Chia charge flapjack.

Dinner: some kind of meat stir-fried with veg and served with rice/noodles/sweet potatoes.

Snack: Greek yoghurt, seeds, berries. Hot chocolate. Popcorn.

“I’ve had some great advice from Renee McGregor (the dietitian) over the years,” she adds. “This included how much and when is optimum to eat protein after sessions, and I use her books as a ‘go-to’ still.”

It’s clear that the down to earth marathon star recognises the importance of taking advice and accepting support from experts who clearly care about her progress and general health, with McGregor, Radcliffe and Cram and Curbishley all featuring strongly in her success story.

However, it’s when Dixon reflects on the numerous local half marathons and parkruns she has done ‘for fun’ that it’s obvious the northern ace will never stray far from her roots, even if she does have to travel as far as Japan in two years time for a certain Olympic Games.

“I love running and especially running in local events,” she says. “I think it’s so important to support the local scene, as that is where I developed.”

It seems clear that, with Dixon, you can take the girl out of the North for altitude training or far flung races, but you’ll never take the North out of this Sunderland lass.

RELATED: How I train: Lily Partridge

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post How I train: Aly Dixon appeared first on Fast Running.