EVENT REVIEW | AUSSIES ATTACK A WET LONDON MARATHON

EVENT REVIEW | AUSSIES ATTACK A WET LONDON MARATHON

A cold, wet and windy morning greeted the Australian trio of Sinead Diver, Ellie Pashley and Brett Robinson on Sunday for the 2020 London Marathon.

The 40th edition of the event looked vastly different to previous years - featuring elite athletes only and being held on a 2.15km loop around the iconic St James Park in Central London.

The extensive line up of accessories including caps, beanies and jackets being sported by athletes was indicative of the inclement weather conditions of which they were about to battle for 42.2km.

In the women’s race Sinead Diver was the first Australian across the line - clocking 2:27:07 for the journey to finish in eighth place.

It was Diver’s third consecutive top-eight finish in World Marathon Majors - including a fifth place finish at New York and a seventh place finish at London in 2019.

The Australian progressed through the field throughout the enticing affair - in which many of the competitors paid the price for fast starts in the testing conditions.

Coach Nic Bideau alluded to the challenges that the athletes have faced in 2020 compared to that of a normal year - including entering the ‘hub’ less than one week prior to the event.

“The athletes got there a bit later than we would have liked,” he said.

“Sinead didn’t really have the nice sleeps she needed in the last five nights.”

Bideau declared that Diver’s performance was certainly not a bad result - but instead one that failed to reveal her full potential.

“She was definitely in better shape than what she showed,” he said.

“She’s a bit disappointed because she felt like she trained better and didn’t get it all out there.

“She is running against the best athletes in the world and she is always right up there and competitive.”

Ellie Pashley finished in an impressive twelfth placing in a time of 2:31:31.

It was a less than ideal lead into London for Pashley - whose goals were adjusted by a foot niggle in June.

The World Championship representative was dialled in on her goal pace early on - appearing composed and executing the race plan of Coach Julian Spence.

Pashley improved eight spots in the back half of the marathon, relishing the opportunity to race and record a strong performance.

The time was significantly outside Pashley’s best but a twelfth-place finish at a World Marathon Major, including an interrupted preparation, suggests she will be putting her hand up for a marathon spot at Tokyo in 2021.

It was an unfortunate result for Brett Robinson in the men’s race - with the Australian laying it all on the line before coming unstuck with abdominal troubles.

Coach Nic Bideau says it has been a lingering issue for Robinson and one they will look to fix through various strength exercises.

“It’s a spasm in his abdomen and he can’t breathe properly,” he said.

“He was fine when he got to 29 kilometres when it first started and by the time he got to 36 kilometres he had to stop.

“We can’t have him doing all this training and being in great shape just to have this happen so many times.”

Robinson entered the race full of confidence and raced aggressively early - a decision Bideau supports.

“Obviously it was raining and windy, but they had pacemakers and you don’t get these chances too often,” he said.

“He trained great and was feeling good, so he decided to go for it.

“He went through halfway in 63:50 and he wasn’t struggling at all - and before he got the stitch, he was plotting how to make a move at 35 kilometres to get away from the guys he was running with.”

The former track star has experienced mixed results in his marathon career to date but has shown solid indicators that a fast time is around the corner if he can fix his abdominal problems.

By: Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 6 October 2020