British Marathon Running

British marathon runners are not as bad as many people say. In the 2009 London marathon 25 British men finished in the top 40 inside 2:29. Yes we weren't up there challenging to win the race but this shows British marathon running has real strength in depth. Add to this the fact that there are other marathons (the Shakespeare marathon was held on the same day), and many strong runners prefer not to run on the road but stick to cross country or fell running.

Marathon running is more than Ron Hill and Steve Jones. There are many marathon runners who seem largely forgotten now because they did not set the world alight in the same way. Steve Brace, Hugh Jones and Paul Evans to name just three.

There are very few British runners at the moment who have run under 2:15, and I suppose that is the benchmark by which elite runners are judged. That is why David Bedford says that British marathon runners are not as good as they used to be. There is a huge commitment amongst top club runners to improve and it doesn't help to say "ah they're just rubbish, all they want to do is eat chips and play on their playstation..." Running 200 mile weeks is not for everyone, and for most this would result in burn out and injury. Indeed, a great deal can be achieved on 70 or 80 mile weeks. It is striking the balance between running a lot of miles and avoiding injury that is the key. David Bedford may have run fast in his day, but he also spent a lot of time injured.

For a club runner to run inside 2:45 this is a big achievement, and to move beyond this to 2:30 or under requires dedication and perseverance over a number of years.