Flash quotes

On winning a week after finishing second in the TCS Sydney Marathon: 

“I feel good, Sydney was great and it’s good to be back here in London. I was still feeling the effect of the travel a bit but I felt energised by the crowds out there today. I’m looking forward to going home and having a few days off now though.” 

On her race plan: 

“The goal was to go out hard from the beginning and maintain that top place position which I was able to do and it was nice to have guys out in front to aim for.” 

On the rest of the year: 

“I’ve got three marathons coming up now: Berlin, Chicago and New York, so it’s going to be a busy few months, but I am looking forward to it.” 

On his crash on July 18th:

“I was out on my usual training route near my home, on coastal roads that lead into a farm track which I’ve used hundreds of times. There’s a slight bend – not even a proper corner, as I don’t need to steer around it. A driver was coming the other way, and I just took my eyes off the road for a moment. He stopped instantly, but I went straight into him and had to go to hospital. I punctured my arm and grazed my entire back. I was doing about 20 miles an hour, testing my wheels, bearings, and tyres, so I was going quickly. A week later, I had to go to Switzerland to take a young squad out for training, working alongside [fellow elite wheelchair racer] Marcel Hug. Luckily, I was able to get my chair looked at while I was there, since that’s where it’s made.” 

On breaking the course record:

“I didn't think my time would be that quick. I was pushing because I've not raced for a while, so I felt a bit rusty, but I'm happy to do a course record at my age.” 

“I knew the conditions would be pretty good. It was quite windy, actually, even Eden [Rainbow Cooper] said, did you find it windy? There were parts when that didn't help me at all. 

“Records depend on the weather, and I don't think about it the night before, just on the day or during the warm-up. I didn't go off too quick because I’m race rusty, so I didn't want to blow up in the first three miles, but once I got into a rhythm, I felt quite good.” 

What’s next:

“I didn't do The Big Half last year because I was in Paris [at the Paralympics], but this will be a good build up for Berlin. I was injured over the summer, so I'm just sort of getting back to race fitness. It's a good blowout for me and it'll get me prepared for the next few marathons that are coming up.”  

On the race:

"It was a fun race, with a big group of us sticking together for quite a while. It was pretty hot and windy out there, so the pace wasn’t super fast. But it was enjoyable to trade the lead a bit and see who wanted to push and who wanted to sit in. I managed to break away after mile 11 and bring it home, so it was a great morning."

On the pressure to win:

"It’s always nice to win a race from a personal perspective. You want to come back and defend your title, and when I heard I’d be the first to win it three times in a row, I thought, what a cool opportunity. If I hadn’t won today, I’d have had to wait four years to try again, so there was definitely a bit of pressure. But I knew I was in great shape - I’ve been racing well over 5K - so it felt good to step back up in distance. I’ll come back until I loose!”

What's next:

“It’s my fiancee’s birthday. She just started about 7 minutes ago, so we will be waiting for her at the Finish Line!”

On the race:

“I planned to sit in until about 10 miles. I did a solid 3K on / 1K off session last week, so I felt confident I could push through the final 3K. I was feeling good, so around 9K I hitched a ride off a couple of the men and just didn't look back. 

On this season:

“It's been a really hard year. I wanted to have a track season, but every time I step onto the track, it’s like I forget how to race. I’ve started trauma therapy, and that’s been helping a lot. Coming back from [the European Athletics Championships in] Rome last year has been hard. I wanted to move to the road and test myself, and I’m really happy with how it went. I just wanted to race and enjoy it – and the crowds were amazing.” 

On support from the crowds:

“I was surprised by how many people knew my name - it feels like I’ve been away for a couple of years. It was really nice to feel remembered, and I heard my name all the way around.”   

On trauma therapy:

“I’ve had to start over. I wanted to focus on the track and make [the World Athletics Championships in] Tokyo, but it became clear early on that it wasn’t going to happen. Training was going well, which made it even more frustrating - I’m probably in the best shape of my life, but I just couldn’t replicate it on the track. I’m hoping therapy will help me get back there, but honestly, I’m really enjoying the road. It feels like a fresh start, and I’m so grateful to my agent, my friends, and my family – everyone who’s stuck with me. I’m just taking it one week at a time.” 

On running the TCS New York City Marathon:

“It was so nice to be invited to race here, and the London Marathon Events are always well organised. I did [the Asics] Falmouth [Road Race] a couple of weeks ago, and I’ll keep building on the road. For now, I’m just taking it week by week and hopefully working towards the marathon." 

“I’m really, really pleased with today. The conditions were quite tough out there, but the atmosphere was amazing and I am really pleased with the result. 

“The main objective today was just to race it. It’s a hard course and the field is so strong and sometimes it’s just nice to see where you are within the field as there were some amazing girls out there. The support was amazing especially coming over Tower Bridge and then at the Finish which was so loud with people cheering your name.” 

“I came into here very open minded as I am in the middle of a marathon block so you never really know exactly where you’re at and I’ve not raced too much over the past few months, but I am really happy with my performance because it’s a fairly tough course and it was hot today. Hopefully it will give me good stimulus for the Berlin Marathon in two weeks.” 

“I kind of prepared for anything today. I knew it was going to be hard and it was one of those where it could have been anyone’s race. We started fairly slow and it was a good pace until Mile 11 and I knew it would get tougher from there when Jack went. But I am happy with second place.” 

"The race was good, but  it was bit hot. I wanted  to go under 62 minutes but I couldn’t push the pace after five miles as my legs felt like they were on fire. I ran 64 minutes in training [recently] so I am happy with the position but not so much the time.”