Athletics: Freya Murray’s great hopes

Published on 15/09/2012 01:32

Freya Murray admits there is now more pressure on her shoulders heading into tomorrow’s Bupa Great North Run after she finished as Britain’s leading marathon finisher at the Olympic Games.

The Scot, who was 44th in London in only her second outing over 26 miles, made her half-marathon debut last year in the annual race in Newcastle after opting to step up from 10,000 metres.

This year’s Great North field includes Olympic marathon champion Tiki Gelena as well as her Ethiopian compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba, who took gold in the 10,000m. But Murray 
insists she is no longer over-awed by such tough opposition.

“It’s an excellent field,” she said. “But I want to feel like I’ve given it my best shot and feel I’ve run well. I feel pretty well recovered and I definitely feel I can do myself justice and run a decent time.

“But we’ll see on the day. I want to be up there and competing well. It’s funny because the Olympics have made people more aware of my sport. Folk always asked before: ‘Are you doing the Great North?’ But this time, their expectations might be a bit higher.”

Kenya’s Olympic marathon bronze medallists Wilson Kipsang and Micah Cogo head the men’s field with Chris Thompson heading the home challenge after Mo Farah’s withdrawal.