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.
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About AW - The best coverage of the No.1 Olympic sport
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