British athletes were thrilled to be part of the 2022 TCS London Marathon and say it will give them invaluable experience for their full marathon debut in future

Pacemakers at the front of the London Marathon certainly looked different this year. The familiar black and white colours of Shaftesbury Barnet which pacers have worn for a number of years were replaced with bright cerise singlets with a gold stripe. Coincidentally they are the same colours used by the new sponsor TCS.

There were also a number of British faces at the front this year. They included Andy Butchart and Emile Cairess at the head of the elite mens group but also Marc Scott, Ben Connor and Ellis Cross, among others, while Calli Thackery helped pace Rose Harvey to 32km.

The crowd was insane and it gives me a bit of a buzz to maybe try a marathon in a couple of years time, said Butchart, who has run 13:06 for 5000m and 27:36 for 10,000m.

It was an amazing experience, added Cairess, who has run 27:34 for 10,000m. To be at the front of the London Marathon, not many Brits can experience it.

One of the founding aims of the London Marathon was to encourage British distance running and both Butchart and Cairess told AW they were grateful that the event was giving runners like themselves the opportunity to taste the occasion before making a full debut themselves in future.

Could they have gone all the way on Sunday? Not today but in the future, who knows if I get the miles in the legs, smiled Butchart. It could be a bright future for British distance running.

When I got the option to pace here, I grabbed it. Its my first time here and my first marathon experience.

Andy Butchart and Emile Cairess were among a number of British pacemakers in the TCS #LondonMarathon and here they tell @Jason_AW how much they enjoyed their experience. pic.twitter.com/0nrLKFpfaw

AW (@AthleticsWeekly) October 3, 2022

Mo Farah ran the Mini London Marathon several times as a teenager before deliberately going to halfway in his first London Marathon in 2013 followed by a full debut in 2014.

He returned in 2020 to try to pace the leading Brits to Olympic qualifying marks too. Similarly, Eilish McColgan went to 17 miles as a pacemaker in 2020, which she says has given her invaluable experience ahead of her marathon debut.

Like Farah, Cairess and Butchart also ran the Mini Marathon during their youth. Cairess said: I did it five times but not with much success. I ended up walking it twice and it was only three miles too!

READ MORE: Catch up with all our London Marathon coverage

The last British man to win the London Marathon remains Eamonn Martin in 1993. With Farah close to retirement and the east African runners producing fearsome performances, it is a big ask for current British runners to aim for.

Its not an easy race to win but well try our best, said Cairess.

Course records are smashed by the Swiss para-athletes on the streets of London on Sunday

There was a Swiss double in the wheelchair races as Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner took victories in big course record times.

The same duo won the wheelchair races in Berlin seven days earlier and here in London they ruled the roads again.

Hug, 36, clocked 1:24:38 to smash the course mark by one minute and 49 seconds. But he only won by two seconds from Daniel Romanchuk after the Americans attempt to overtake Hug on the inside on the final bend backfired as his wheel hit the kerb and he lost momentum.

Debrunner, meanwhile, capitalised on the dry conditions in the British capital as she clocked 98:24 to break the course best by one minute and 29 seconds. The 27-year-olds first-ever marathon was in Berlin last week but has taken to the distance in style.

The spate of race-week drop-outs affected the wheelchair races too with Madison de Rozario and Manuela Schär withdrawing on the morning of the race and Schar even travelled to the start before deciding not to race.

Eight-time winner David Weir finished third in the mens race after using his famed power and experience to out-sprint Tomoki Suzuki of Japan down The Mall as they both clocked 90:41.

The wheelchair races enjoyed much higher prize money than previous years too as the prize pot has risen in 2022 to $199,500 with the winners getting $35,000 each.

Im really pleased with todays win but it was a really tough one, said Hug. Daniel was very strong today.

Distance runner improves her own British 10km record to 30:18 at the Great Scottish Run

After delaying her London Marathon debut until April due to fuelling concerns, Eilish McColgan took to the roads of Glasgow on Sunday (Oct 2) instead and took a second off her British 10km record with 30:18.

Racing on home soil at the Great Scottish Run, she won in style to end a memorable year that has included British records at 5km and half-marathon plus Commonwealth 10,000m gold.

McColgan began her summer with 30:23 for 10km at the Vitality London 10,000 and then improved that mark to 30:19 at the Great Manchester Run in late May before making a further improvement in Glasgow.

I thought Id be tired doing this but I actually felt okay she said. I found the course very tough. That first mile and a half, even up on to the motorway its quite deceiving.

Every bridge does get you. But it helped having a couple of lads to chase down. The first half I was on my own. The second half I could see people and was trying to chase them and then I had a little bit of a sprint finish at the end. But I got excited when I saw the clock. It was a nice way to round out the season.

It was a day dominated by London Marathon but the Great Scottish Run was one of several high-class events around the UK. The British record also gave organisers the task of trying to arrange a doping test so the record could be ratified.

Her time has also been described as a European record, although Lonah Salpeter ran 30:05 in Tilburg in 2019. To add to the confusion, Salpeter runs for Israel, which is geographically part of Asia but is one of European Athletics member nations (and Salpeter has run in the European Championships).

McColgan even said on her own Instagram page that her run was possibly a European record, but its a little confusing with what is ratified. However, Salpeter was born in Kenya before moving to Israel to become a nanny, so McColgan can at least describe herself as the fastest-ever European-born athlete at the distance on the roads.

The 31-year-old will now enjoy a well-deserved end-of-season break before setting her sights on London in the spring.

Lewis Hannigan won the mens race in 29:56 ahead of Callum Tharme, who crossed the line alongside McColgan in an overall field of about 20,000 runners.

In the accompanying half-marathon, Callum Hawkins showed further signs of returning to his best when he won in 63:35 ahead of Adam Craig (64:17) and his older brother Derek (65:32).

The womens half-marathon was won by Michelle Finn in 72:33 ahead of Lily Partridge (72:56) and Fionnuala Ross (73:25).

The 30-year-old only began running seriously during lockdown but two years later is top British woman at the London Marathon

Rose Harvey finished first British woman home at the 2022 TCS London Marathon in 2:27:59 but her journey to that lofty position began in turmoil in the early summer of 2020 when she was made redundant during the pandemic-related lockdown.

Losing her job in corporate finance law, she found herself with time on her hands. Many people took up new hobbies and pastimes during that period. Harvey began to get fit and started training for triathlon.

I had three months of garden leave and began training for half-ironman, she told AW.

Soon she was encouraged to focus solely on running, though. I began training with a group and 11 months later ran 2:31 in Cheshire and got a new job but kept going with training and then I ran 2:27:17 in Seville in February which was a huge breakthrough for me.

Harvey did run a bit before the pandemic, but her marathon times included 2:55 in London in 2016 and 3:04 in 2018.

She added: Its been an absolutely whirlwind two years. Lockdown was rubbish in every other respect but it was the start of my running career.

The 30-year-old also ran 2:29:45 in London last year but was overshadowed by the performance of Charlie Purdue, who clocked 2:23:26 but missed this years race with illness.

Harvey also made the GB team for the World Championships in Eugene but she had to pull out at 26km after her quads cramped badly during the race. Heart breaking, is how she described it at the time.

Guided by coach Phil Kissi, her improvements have led to sponsorship from Puma, though, which means she took time off work this summer to focus on training. It paid off in London too.

I basically started running seriously at the start of lockdown.

An incredible story as Rose Harvey started running during lockdown and today finished 10th at @LondonMarathon in 2:27:59

@Jason_AW #LondonMarathon pic.twitter.com/NDffDOnRsX

AW (@AthleticsWeekly) October 2, 2022

The Clapham Chasers athlete passed halfway in 73:59 and pushed on in the second half to finish 10^th in the elite womens race and first Brit by some distance as Hannah Alderson, racing off the mass start, clocked 2:35:56.

It was the race of my life, said Harvey. Absolutely amazing. The crowds were insane.

My pacer Calli Thackery was a metronome and went to 32km but I was on my own after that and it was a case of run to the next cheer.

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I was just outside my PB but I was first Brit and just got the World Champs qualifying time.