PHOTOS: EDDIE MACDONALD
Any spring marathon trainees reading this will know what a long, hard slog the last few months have been – but, at the same time, the weeks of training seem to have gone by in a flash. As we went to press, one of our team – Claire Price – had already completed her A-race, the ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon, and was preparing to run her glory lap at the Virgin Money London Marathon on 23 April. Meanwhile, Alice Doggrell, Katie Hainbach and Leah McDaniel were all dealing with last-minute niggles, maranoia and getting final pep talks from coach Richard Coates as they prepared to face their 26.2-mile challenge on the streets of the capital