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With only two spots up for grabs on Britain’s team, Overall is again in prime position to claim his place having beaten the 2:14:00 qualifying time in Berlin last September, just as he did in 2011 when he ran 2:10:55 in his debut marathon, a time which still counts as his personal best.
But Overall hardly did himself justice on the biggest stage when he finished a disappointing 61st at London 2012, in 2:22:37, a performance that clearly still wrangles the 33-year-old.
Now Overall needs to finish among the first two Britons on Sunday to guarantee his ticket to Rio giving him the chance to finally lay the Olympic ghost to rest.
“It’s what I’ve been thinking about for the last four years,” said Overall, who was 10th in Berlin last year in 2:11:24, his quickest time for four years. “I want to make Rio and produce a championship performance that’s worthy of my talent. I’d like to run well at Rio and forget about London 2012.”
Overall credits a switch to his new coach, Alan Storey, with a change of attitude that has seen him approaching his best once again in the last 12 months.
“My time in Berlin in 2011 came off the back of a track season and it’s taken a couple of years to realise that’s the best approach,” he said. “I switched to Alan two years ago and that has been another learning curve. I ran 2:13 in London last year and 2:11 in Berlin again, so it feels like I’m in good shape again.”
With 12 British men chasing Olympic selection on Sunday, Overall is one of just two who have achieved the time. Callum Hawkins is the other after the 23-year-old Scot made a competent step up to the 26.2 distance with a 2:12:17 finish in Frankfurt last year.
Considered one of the bright new things in British marathon running, Hawkins is looking forward to his inaugural London Marathon appearance.
“There’s going to be nerves when it’s such a big prize for the first two Brits,” Hawkins admitted. “It will be the first proper head-to-head marathon that I’ve ever been in, so it will be different to what happened in Frankfurt.
“I don’t think anywhere near 2:14:00 will cut it. I think you’ll have to be much quicker than that. Anyone that thinks they can nip under 2:14:00 and be in the top two should be worried.”
While Overall and Hawkins have the time under their belts, the injury plagued Chris Thompson insists he is just glad to be on the Start Line. The 35 year-old has endured what he calls “a shocking two years” following his marathon debut in London when he was 11th in 2:11:19.
After an achilles operation later that year, Thompson missed the 2015 London Marathon and even two months ago was doubting his chances of making this year’s Start Line.
“It’s been a really hard couple of years,” he said. “It’s been emotionally and physically draining. It was dispiriting. ”
When Thompson asked coach Storey if Olympic selection was possible, Storey told him: “It is, but you’re not going to like it.” Two months of painful rehabiliation and hard training later, the former European 10,000m silver medallist now believes he has a chance.
“My team around me have been so supportive to get me to this point,” he said. “I’m just so happy to be here and I’m excited for this year as a whole. I want to go to Rio, I want to run the marathon, but I’m not going to be depressed on Sunday evening if I don’t make it.
“Alan said I will need to put everything on the line, and I will. But the important thing is, I don’t feel like I’m putting myself in a position this Sunday where I’ll come out of it a broken man physically. I wouldn’t be here if the last seven weeks hadn’t gone as well as they have done.
“Whatever happens this weekend and over the next six months, I’m in a place where I feel I’m ready to run quickly. I have a platform to work with, which I’ve been fighting for. I feel like I’ve got a shot. I’m not going to be at home wondering what could have been, I’m on the Start Line and that means everything.”
Source: Virgin Money London Marathon
