Athletics Hot weather wrecks Kurt's London Marathon plan

O matter how well you prepare the marathon has a nasty habit of scuppering best-laid plans, as Kurt Taylor discovered in this year's London event.

- Kevin FAHEY

The Bristol & West AC senior men's road captain had geared his winter programme to this single day and not unreasonably had high expectations of running well inside 2hours 20minutes.

But how was Taylor to know that it was going to be one of the hottest days of the year, which caused hundreds to drop out and thousands to run much slower than they had expected?

"You spend all winter training in the wet and cold and then suddenly on one day it is so hot and your body is just not used to it," said Taylor. "I'm not saying it was too hot but the marathon is such a hard race to get right and when you get a day like that plans go out of the window.

"There were a lot of people suffering on Sunday, it was carnage out there on the streets of London."

The TCS London event was Taylor's fourth marathon but only his second serious one following his 'proper' debut in Chicago last October when he ran a PB of 2:20.44. With a solid winter under his belt his aim was to get close to 2hrs 16mins and at the halfway mark he was bang on course with a split time of 68:04.

But on a cloudless day the thermometer was then starting to rise starkly and the miles began to bite.

"I think by halfway I knew it was a bit too quick and it just wasn't going to be my day," added Taylor.

"From then on I just started to slow and it was tough. But I still ran a PB and you know the marathon is an event that takes time to get right.

"I look at my B&W club-mate Pete Le Grice and it took him three or four marathons before he finally ran under 2hrs 20mins.

"I also enjoyed the training for it and I'll definitely do another one, but maybe later in the year like the Valencia event. But for now it's time for a rest!"