Hopes high for Britain’s leading women – Virgin Money London Marathon 2016

The top four British women jostling for Olympic slots at the Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday all believe they are in great shape for the trial.

Sonia Samuels and Alyson Dixon have already achieved the Olympic qualifying time of 2:31:00, while Scots Susan Partridge and Freya Ross have good reason to believe they can dip below the standard and challenge for one of the first two places that will guarantee selection.

Despite a recent blip at the World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff three weeks ago, the 37-years-old Dixon remains buoyed by her personal best of 2:29:30 at the Berlin Marathon last year.

“Everything has been going really well, so I’m just excited to get going now,” said the Sunderland Stroller. “I know I’m in good shape, so I’ve just to go out there and be sensible on the day.”

Samuels is also planning to channel the spirit of Berlin where she ran 2:28:04 last September, almost three minutes under her previous PB and good enough to rank first in the UK last year.

Fresh from doses of warm weather training in Kenya, the United States and Alicante, the confident 37-year-old Sale Harrier said: “If you’re building on each marathon and you’re getting stronger, then improvements are there to be made. It’s gone really well off the back of Berlin. It’s nice to build on the two marathons last year and continue to get stronger.”

Partridge returns to London for an eighth time also full of confidence after a notable autumn marathon. The 36-year-old Leeds City runner clocked 2:31:31 in Chicago last October, barely half a minute outside the required time. With a PB of 2:30:46 from the London Marathon three years ago, she knows she could make the team if she runs at her best.

Coached by British men’s record holder and 1985 London champion Steve Jones, Partridge will rely on feel and instinct, rather than a pre-planned approach, in Sunday’s race.

“I think splits and specific gameplans are not really Steve’s thing,” she said. “It’s just run as fast as you can, race and respond to other people. If you think you can do it, go for it, if you need to hold back you need to hold back.

“If you asked him to set specific times, specific split times, the first thing he’d asked would be, ‘How do you know you can’t go faster? How do you know that’s the time you want to go?’ You have to be able to just have the confidence and be brave. If you’re feeling it then go for it.

“I’m an experienced athlete and I still get it wrong. I might do on Sunday, but I think now I’ve got a fair idea of when to go for it and when not to. Even making a decision that I know might be a bit of a risk, but deciding to take it anyway.”

Ross also believes she is returning to her best after suffering from injuries over the last few years. She has fond memories of London having achieved her 2:28:10 PB at the 2012 London Marathon.

“Since 2012 I’ve had four stress fractures, so it’s been one thing after another,” she said. “I’ve just been trying to overcome each one as it comes along. Each time I’ve overcome one of them, I’ve got back to a level where I’ve been near to where I want to be.

“My quickest time has still been from London in 2012. I want to get back to being in that shape again and hopefully go quicker than that. Getting back into racing has helped keep my motivation up there and make me think I can get back to where I want to be.”

Source: Virgin Money London Marathon