CLOCKING a 2:39 debut marathon in 2004, Mara Yamauchi went on to improve it a further 16 minutes by the end of her career. A 2:31 clocking at the London Marathon in 2005 saw her selected to represent Great Britain at the World Championships in Helsinki where she finished 18th and took team bronze.
Mara Yamauchi: her 2:23:12 in London in 2009 ranks her second only to Paula Radcliffe among Brits
MARK SHEARMAN
Turning to marathon running only in her thirties and with a firm focus on the 2008 Olympic Games, Yamauchi made the decision to take some unpaid leave from her demanding job in London and relocate to Tokyo in 2006. It was a move that paid off as she became the equal highest ever British finisher in the Olympic women’s marathon, taking sixth place in 2:27:29.