Jake Smith won Sunday’s Cheshire Elite Marathon with an Olympic qualifying time of 2:11 – despite not even planning to finish the race.
Smith, 23, who held the Welsh half marathon record until he drove for England again last year, was a pacemaker in the race but chose to break the 25km mark. And it was his first marathon.
“Still in shock from what happened today,” he said in an Instagram post. I looked at the clock at mile 17 and thought, “damn it,” let’s try running olympic time. Fortunately, it paid off. ‘
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Jake told Runner’s World UK that “not much” crossed his mind during the race: “I think I just enjoyed it too much and helped the guy in 2nd place.” When I checked my watch at mile 17 and saw how fast we were still going, I knew I had to finish. ‘
“I just did it and luckily it paid off,” he added. “It takes a long time, and if you are too serious, you don’t run well. I was just having a good time trying to stay relaxed. ‘
His time of 2:11 was just seconds behind Chris Thompson’s time in the British Marathon Trials in March, where Smith was also a pacemaker. It was also 30 seconds faster than the standard for the Tokyo Olympics.
Smith’s longest distance so far was 19 miles. According to his trainer James Thie, he ran the race with little of the usual marathon preparation or racing fuel – no drinks and just a gel.
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Cardiff follower Matt Clowes tweeted after the race about Smith’s relaxed approach: “He laughed and joked when he did [passed] me at 20 miles. As if he went jogging. Cracking Run, you legend ‘.
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The Bermuda-born athlete previously ran the third-fastest British half-marathon of all time and finished 60:31 in the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships last year to beat his personal best by 89 seconds.
After moving to Cardiff University, Smith represented Wales for a period before making the “tough decision” to return his allegiance to England. In an Instagram post, he said: “Since my parents were born in England and I have no family ties in Wales, I would feel much better representing England in future competitions.
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“However, I would like to thank Welsh Athletics for everything they have done for me as their support so far has been incredible,” he added.
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