Edinburgh Athletic Club shines on the streets for London Marathon
Seen by many as the jewel in the crown of British athletics, the 2024 London Marathon took place on April 21. The iconic route is famed for its incredible crowd support, and over 50,000 runners completed the 26.2-mile course on a bright and breezy spring day.
Many Scottish athletes make the trip south every year, and the London Marathon also plays host to the Scottish Marathon Championships, with team and individual titles up for grabs.
Edinburgh Athletic Club was well represented, with a number of stellar performances.
The club’s senior ladies were dominant winners of the Scottish title, with Edinburghbased Irishwoman Doireann Hughes leading the team home in a time of 2:54:14.
Hot on her heels were Isabella Ellwood in 2:55:06, and former Commonwealth Games high-jumper-turnedmarathon-runner Jayne Nisbet, who clocked 2:56:35. The golden girls were backed by Jocelyn Forster (3:07:02), Melissa Albarran (3:10:15), Mairi Blankenstein (3:11:55), Elaine Eadie (3:21:00), Danielle Reid (3:23:33), Izzy Joiner (3:45:00), and Elena O’Neill (3:59:51).
Edinburgh AC’s senior men took silver medals behind city rivals Corstorphine.
The three counters were John Lenehan (2:25:36), Sage Pearce-Higgins (2:30:55), and Max Meres (2:33:09). Also competing were Callum Reid (2:33:54), Iain MacDonald (2:35:48), Tommy Gavin (2:40:31), James Doran (2:54:52), Pete Simpson (2:57:17), Stephen Ingledew (2:58:36), and Fraser Paton (4:42:44).
The impressive Stephen Ingledew took the over-60 category gold medal, breaking three hours for the first time in his 27th marathon. He said: “My 15-week training plan went very well.
“I did some confidenceboosting half marathons and 20-mile races in the build-up, I had really valuable advice from fellow club members, great support from my physio,
New mum Jocelyn Forster’s 3:07:02 saw her take five minutes off her previous personal best
and some terrific tips from my daughter.
“Everything went to plan on the day, I kept up a strong pace, and I was absolutely delighted to win my first Scottish title. It’s still sinking in!”
Perhaps the most remarkable performance was that of new mum Jocelyn Forster. Her 3:07:02 time saw her take five minutes off her previous personal best, and she was one of the first beneficiaries of the London Marathon’s progressive new pregnancy deferral policy, allowing athletes who become pregnant to defer their race entry.
Jocelyn has worked diligently to get back to the top tier of Scottish marathon running since her daughter Isla was born.
She reflected on her journey, saying: “Running is a huge part of my life. I kept running throughout the pregnancy, and for me it was all about getting out and enjoying being active.
“It was nice to be able to hold on to something of the ‘old me’ whilst going through all the unknowns of a first pregnancy.
“I took almost 12 weeks off running after having Isla. You need to build back gradually after childbirth and it’s important to give your body time to recover.
“I had great help from women’s health physiotherapists, and of course my husband and Isla’s grandparents too!
“Having the structure of a training programme and having something to work towards outside of ‘baby-life’ has been really healthy for me. But with a little one, you have to be flexible with training, often pushing a running buggy!”