The Winner

'Don't be stupid, that is impossible a woman cannot run a marathon as fast as a man. They struggle to get under two hours and fifteen minutes. The world record for the woman's marathon stands at 2 hours, 14 minutes, and 4 seconds.

Now I was seeing this British lady keeping up with the men’s pack and hanging on. If she does not blow up, she should do 2 hours 13 minutes. She is capable of it; I have seen her train and how fast she can go.

She went through 13 miles in 1 hour 6 minutes. At my interview before the race, I had said yes, she can beat the world record today. It is a good course, and she is training very well. If she can turn the training into racing, you will see a world record go today. The men had better watch out; she will start to catch the ones who are around 2 hours 10 minutes. If they are struggling, she will catch and pass them, and if she can keep it going, she can take a lot off the world record today. When I said this, they all laughed. But having seen her go through 13 miles and moving so well, it is possible today.

Small conversations were starting to break out all over the control room. The British woman is going very well, and today could be a great day in British Athletics. I had a small smile to myself as the short conversations became more prominent, and everyone's hopes became stronger.

She flew through 20 miles in a time of 1 hour 41 minutes. Spot on to run a world record. The more significant conversations became huge. The last six miles were torture, waiting to see if she had made it. Then it happened the reception to the camera was lost. No one knew what time she had done. If she had not blown up, she would have broken the world record. She was running at about 5 minutes a mile for 26 miles. Suddenly the reception came back and the time on the clock was 2 hours 14 minutes. Where was she? If she had finished, she had done it. The camera swung around, and there she was, looking as fresh as she had when she had started. I started to believe that she had fulfilled her potential and done it; I smiled to myself. Then the replay showed her crossing the line in 2 hours 12 minutes 10 seconds. A cheer went up; they all believed that she had done it.