The British elite fields for the 2023 London Marathon were released yesterday.

The announcement of the British Elite Fields for this April’s London Marathon has created the inevitable chatter amongst runners. Fantasy athletic predictions are going wild, without a doubt.

Farah and McColgan the stand out names

With Sir Mo Farah and Eilish McColgan headlining the lists, there were always going to be healthy predictions.

Many were predicting Farah would not make the start line. Others have suggested he would not be the first British runner to finish if he did. A bit harsh for someone who ran 61:49 as recently as last September, even if aged 39. That half-marathon time was the second fastest by a Briton behind Emille Cairess’s time of 60:32. Cairess will make his full marathon debut in London.

The list includes a host of other established British marathon runners along with some developing runners and some notable debutants. It will make for a great in-depth race, so kudos to the London Marathon team for playing their part in helping bring the field together.

Farah, who holds the British record of 2:05:11 set in Chicago in 2018, turns 40 on 23rd March. Chris Thompson, the third fastest Briton listed in the 2023 elite field has a PB of 2:10:52, already turned 40.

Can we expect masters records

Assuming they both make the start line, Andy Davies British Masters over 40 record of 2:14:20, set in Seville last February, seems destined for revision. Then again, I may be getting caught up in Fantasy athletics predictions! ( Read our post on Andy Davies superb Bronze medal at the 2022 European 50km )

If Farah can replicate his top form, he could threaten the World and European Masters records.

The World Masters over 40 mark was set in London last October when Kenenisa Bekele ran 2:05:53. Bekele, like Farah, has also had his share of injuries the last few years. His time indicates if you can have a consistent training block, age is not a barrier.

The European Masters record was set on the fast Seville course last February by the Moroccan-born Spaniard Ayad Lamdasem with 2:06:25. 

Other top Brits in the 2023 elite London Marathon field.

Of the elite GB men listed, only Farah and Welshman Dewi Griffiths have broken 2:10. You feel it is overdue for some of our other guys to aim for that seemingly elusive barrier. Of the other British runners listed, Jonny Mellor has come agonisingly close in the past with his 2:10:03 from 2020. Many will be excited to see how the in-form Emile Cairess will fare following that 60:32 half-Marathon in Valencia last October. The Welsh duo of Dewi and Josh Griffiths always prepare well.  

How fast could Eilish McColgan run a marathon?

Many have been speculating about what time Eilish could run for the full marathon since her planned debut in London last October. Following her incredible track summer in 2022, her debut was postponed.

 You can read my blog on Eilish’s record year HERE 

As all experienced marathon runners at any level know, anything can happen in your first marathon and often does. You do need a plan. I am sure Eilish, with her Mum and coach Liz, will ensure a successful first attempt will not be left to chance.

An initial aim of finishing is a good first goal. Achieving her mum Liz’s time of 2:26:52, set in London in 1997, would ensure family bragging rights. Steph Twell’s Scottish record of 2:26:40 from Frankfurt in 2019 also looks possible.

If she has the dream debut marathon, you would think the capacity to become only the second British woman to go under 2.20:00 is there. How close she can get to Paula Radcliffes’s long-standing 2:15:25 may have to wait for a future race with her initial London experience put to good use.

We can all play fantasy marathon times, can’t we?

It would be good to see if any other leading brits in the women’s field, including Jess Piasecki, Charlotte Purdue, and Tokyo Olympian Steph Davis, can get close to 2:20 also.

Thinking of Pheidippides

London Marathon is always a good payday for the leading runners. Despite being full-time athletes’ one hopes that Eilish and Emille will not just be thinking of the clock. As millions of marathon runners before them have done and will do in London in April, a thought, and thanks, should be offered to Pheidippedes at some point.

Without the legendary tales of the soldier’s epic run from Marathon to Athens to deliver the news of victory, we would probably not have an event known as The Marathon.

Getting ahead of ourselves…..

As someone with a long-standing involvement in ultra distance, I am already fast-forwarding a year or two to when Eilish has a crack at a 50-kilometre race.

The distance is now recognised, by World Athletics, for record purposes. It has been slowly getting attention from competent marathon runners too.

Olympian Ally Dixon memorably stepped up to 50k and broke the then-world record when winning the IAU World 50km championships in a time of 3:07:20 in 2019

The American Dessy Linden currently holds the world record of 2:59:54, set in a mixed race in April 2021. The record for a women’s only race stands to the South African Irvette Van Zyl with 3:04:24 set at the Breaking Barriers 50km race in Port Elizabeth in May 2021.

Linden, a US Olympian, has a marathon best of 2:22:38 on the net downhill Boston course and 2:25:55 on a regulation course.

The fantasy ultra geek in me just knows that if Eilish were ever inspired to run a 50km, the hour showing on the clock would be two. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It is good to dream, but reality tends to keep you grounded.

The full 2023 list of elite entries, will be found on the London Marathon Website

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