NEW YORK MARATHON...will you be sitting comfortably?

 I can recall running through a snow storm  one Christmas day and  visualising  running  over Westminster Bridge to finish the London Marathon  I was due to race in the following spring.   A good form of motivation I thought at the time;  whilst patting myself on the back that I was out training when my "rivals"  were possibly glued to the couch watching the Great Escape. 
  But there can hardly be  greater motivation to spur on GB distance runners  through the winter than a place in the OLYMPIC MARATHON;  especially when it will take place along the streets of London.  GB runners will have  unprecedented home support every inch of the way;  unlike the spring event where the crowds are very thin in places.  With stadium places  at a premium,  thousands of spectators will choose the marathon as THE event to watch  without the need of a ticket.   The atmosphere for the competitors will be unprecedented.
  PAULA RADCLIFFE'S place would appear to be pretty secure after her 2:23:46 in the Berlin marathon

and it will be interesting to see if she changes her questionable race build up.  But the contest for the remaining 2 places has certainly taken a new twist following Bristol's CLAIRE HALLISSEY'S run of 2:29.27  for 6th place in this month's Chicago marathon.  U.S. based Claire certainly has made a claim for her place as one of 3 , hopefully, in the Olympic event with just Radcliffe and Jo Pavey above her in the rankings.
 JO PAVEY is next to play a hand in the game with an outing this Sunday in the NEW YORK CITY MARATHON;  no doubt hopeful she can improve on her debut 2:28 in this year's London.  She states she went off a tad too fast in her first marathon (been there!) and struggled from 18 miles but feels the tougher N.Y course will work against a P.B.  Whatever the time it'll standher in good stead and no doubt be a reasonable pay day.
                      We can see how she fairs on EUROSPORT 2 LIVE at 2 p.m. 
                Hopefully she can stay in touch long enough to feature in the coverage.
 MARA YAMAUCHI, who has yet to record a qualifying time and LOUISE DAMEN , who has,  will no doubt be glued to the couch as well  plus several ladies just over the 2: 30 at a good time for UK female distance running.    Including  LIZ YELLING, recovering from her 2:34.58 last week in the Frankfurt Marathon.   She'll need to improve to make the team.
  Seems to me the solution is quite simple.  Do what the Americans do and have a trial race.  Their 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trial race though is Houston in January. Perhaps London in the Spring would be considered by many as too late for it to be used as a GB trial race.  In my experience I think there is enough time to recover after London and we have had Olympic trials in the past.
               And, finally, ref. U.S. distance running just noticed this in Athletics Weekly......
            LOS ANGELES  OCT 30  Womens Half Marathon....(behind Deena Kastor)

       
  Linda SOMERS-SMITH  75.17

      ( World Record for a W50)