Davis turns running for fun into Olympic pursuit as Scot earns Sapporo marathon spot with London win
AHEAD of the carnival of sport that was London 2012, Steph Davis was scampering through the mud to finish 10th at the Scottish cross-country championships while happily prioritising studies and social life at Edinburgh University.
Athletics was about staying fit. For several years hence, fun runs were her outlet of choice and the height of her competitive ambition.
Fast forward to the present, and the 30-year-old from Bearsden is now preparing to make an unforeseen international debut on the greatest stage of them all. Victorious by a significant margin at the British marathon trials yesterday in London, Davis is bound for the Olympics in Japan this summer, the latest chapter in an extraordinary evolution that has left none more surprised than herself.
With the required qualifying mark for the Games already secured in only her third outing at the distance, in Valencia 15 months ago, she simply required a top-two finish within the picturesque surroundings of Kew Gardens to book a ticket to Sapporo. It was punched with considerable aplomb, a triumph in two hours, 27 minutes and 16 seconds with daylight between her and any would-be challenger.
“I knew I had a lead and there was a gap,” she admitted. “But with the marathon you just never know what could happen. You could die in a minute and someone else could come up behind who is feeling really strong. I just stuck on the same pace. To cross that line, with a small personal best, I’m really chuffed.”
Now for marathon No.5 with the legends of the trade. Davis’ first sampling was only three years ago, a wild idea conjured when her boyfriend and some friends decided to make it a weekend of running in Berlin.
“I thought I may as well,” she recalled. “I got a slot in the ballot. I started working with my coach and he was very supportive. But it probably wasn’t until London when I ran 2:32 that I realised there is something there. And there were so many changes we could make.”
She still has no sponsor, though that may now change.
I just stuck on the same pace. To cross that line, with a small personal best, I’m really chuffed
Going to the Games will mean time off required from her three days-a-week job at an asset manager in London to represent the UK. “It’s quite surreal,” she admitted, “that the first time I will put that kit on to race will be in Japan for the Olympics.”
Natasha Cockram and Rosie Edwards, who came second and third, will miss out after finishing outside the qualifying standard, as will Sarah Inglis who faded to sixth in 2:34:09. It presents the selectors a dilemma of choosing two out of three when they convene next week with Jess Piasecki, Charlotte Purdue and Scotland’s Steph Twell all eligible for the remaining available slots.
Chris Thompson concluded an unforgettable week by winning the men’s trial in a personal best of 2:10:50, barely four days and eight hours after becoming a first-time father to new son Theo. His bold gamble not to align to a front group headed by pacemaker Callum Hawkins paid dividends as he swept into the lead and bolted clear. Three weeks before his 40th birthday, the European medallist crossed the line and let tears erupt after holding everything together, but only just.
“My wife is an ex-Olympian herself so when we knew the date of this race was set and realised that our due date was really close, we knew this week would be tough,” he revealed.
“As athletes, we don’t just try to physically prepare but also emotionally: box everything the best. She didn’t want to detract from us as a team and as a family. But it would cap it off if I could pull this off. From the moment I’ve seen him, I’ve not let myself go. Because as athletes, you are good at controlling your emotion. You park it up. All this week, I’ve had to really suppress things.”
Ben Connor claimed second place in 2:12:06 to also guarantee his berth in a threeman line-up along side the pre-selected Hawkins, who surely proved his fitness with a composed turn at the front.
However, Commonwealth bronze medallist Robbie Simpson, from Aberdeen, finished sixth in 2:15:26, just outside the qualifying mark for next year’s Games in Birmingham and shy of his lifetime best.