MARATHON BRAINSTORM

A ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSION ABOUT BRITISH MARATHON STANDARDS LED TO SPICY DEBATE AND SIMPLE SOLUTIONS

Legend: Basil Heatley won Olympic marathon silver and (inset) set a world marathon record

MARK SHEARMAN

IN AN EFFORT to rediscover the recipe for British marathon success, Athletics Weekly recently gathered a handful of legends for a special lunch. We stirred them gently and turned up the heat with a few pointed questions and left them to simmer for an hour. The result? A spicy dish, full of flavour, but with some surprisingly simple ingredients at its core.

“People talk about planning today, but I did nothing,” said Basil Heatley, the Olympic silver medallist and former world recordholder for the marathon. “I just got out and I ran and I enjoyed it.

“The really good thing about distance running is that you don’t need to have all that (planning),” he continued. “You just need to go out and have a run. It’s just putting one foot in front of the other. And if you can do it a bit faster or a bit more frequently than the other bloke, then chances are you will beat him.”

Liz McColgan, winner of big city marathons in New York City, Tokyo and London, offered advice that was equally blunt. When asked what makes a world class marathon runner? “Stubborn,” she answered, without hesitation. “You need to be single-minded and stubborn.

About Athletics Weekly

THE BIG INTERVIEW 14 DINA ASHER-SMITH Sprinter’s remarkable journey from kit carrier at London 2012 to Rio medal hope SPOTLIGHT 20 BACK TO BASICS Legends Basil Heatley and Bill Adcocks discuss Britain’s current marathon plight 24 MICHELLE CARTER Interview with the world indoor shot champ 38 ZATOPEK BOOK REVIEW Mel Watman recaps on the latest insights into one of the all-time greats NEWS 7 Paula Radcliffe concerned at CAS ruling 8 Trayvon Bromell at Manchester CityGames 9 London Olympic track relaid STATISTICS 30 ROAD TO RIO The history of the men’s javelin at the Olympic Games TALKING POINT 28 LANE TWO CURSE Why sprinters may be hoping to avoid the second lane in this year’s Olympics PERFORMANCE 42 Sports science news 44 High jump masterclass with Allan Smith 46 When should you run twice a day? 48 Product reviews – summer tops 50 Club Night – Keswick AC ACTION 52 DOHA DIAMOND LEAGUE Eilidh Doyle takes victory at a top-quality series-opener 56 BRITISH ATHLETICS LEAGUE Birchfield open title defence in style RESULTS & FIXTURES 60 Top results from last weekend 72 Previews of the Shanghai Diamond League, Great Bristol 10km, BMC Manchester and BMAF Road Relays 75 Fixtures for the month ahead REGULARS 40 YOUNG ATHLETE 78 QUIZ CORNER 82 DIP FINISH

MARATHON BRAINSTORM

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