Press Release - London Marathon - 8/14/21

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                  Charlotte Purdue and Jonny Mellor return        
          to Virgin Money London Marathon looking to prove a point

Charlotte Purdue and Jonny Mellor will return to the Virgin Money London 
Marathon in 2021 both with extra motivation after missing out on Olympic 
Games selection this year.

Purdue won the British Championships title at the 2019 Virgin Money London 
Marathon when she was the first domestic athlete home in a personal best 
(PB) time of 2 hours 25 minutes 38 seconds which is the fourth fastest time 
ever by a British female.

But she was not selected for Team GB for the Tokyo Olympic Games after an 
injury meant she was unable to participate in the British Athletics Olympic 
Marathon Trials in Kew Gardens in March.

Purdue admits the decision hurt but she has put that aside and is now 
totally focused on the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 3 
October.

"Missing the Olympics was hard to take because it was such a big goal of 
mine," said Purdue. "Now I've decided I have to move on and focus on 
something else big and exciting which for me is this year's London Marathon 
- and look to the next Olympics.

Charlotte Purdue Interview ahead of the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon

"I always want to run 100 per cent the best I can in any race and I would 
always want to run well at the London Marathon, but deep down there is a 
little bit of extra motivation to run really well this year."

Mellor too was unfortunate to miss out on the Olympic Games. He ran the 
qualifying time twice and was the first British male finisher at last 
year's Virgin Money London Marathon, but he injured his ankle just before 
the Olympic trial race in March.

Mellor said: "I'm really excited to be coming back for my fifth consecutive 
London Marathon. It was a very cool and unique race to be a part of around 
St James's Park last year and I was delighted to finish as the first 
British runner home. Now I'm really looking forward to the noise and the 
cheer of the crowds again."

     It was a very cool and unique race to be a part of 
     around St James's Park last year and I was delighted to 
     finish as the first British runner home.

     Jonny Mellor
     First British male finisher at 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon

Both athletes will get the chance to win selection for Great Britain 
marathon team to compete at the World Championships in Oregon next July. 
British Athletics announced last week that the first British male and 
female finisher at the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon will automatically 
be selected for the World Championships providing they have the qualifying 
time, which is 2:11:30 for men and 2:29:30 for women.

Other British men competing in this year's Virgin Money London Marathon 
include Mohamud Aadan, who finished third at Kew Gardens in March in 
2:12:20, and Joshua Griffiths of Swansea Harriers, who was the first 
British finisher at the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon and third last 
year.

Among the other British women racing in this year's race are Natasha 
Cockram, who was the first British finisher at the 2020 Virgin Money London 
Marathon and runner-up at the British Athletics Olympic Marathon Trials at 
Kew Gardens; Rose Harvey, who ran a big PB of 2:30:58 earlier this year, 
and Samantha Harrison, the fastest British half marathoner in 2021.

British men
- Jonny Mellor (Club: Liverpool Harriers; Marathon PB 2:10:03)
- Mohamud Aadan (Thames Valley Harriers; 2:12:20)
- Joshua Griffiths (Swansea Harriers; 2:13:11)
- Charlie Hulson (Liverpool Harriers; 2:13:34)
- Andrew Davies (Stockport; 2:14:36)
- Weynay Ghebreselassie (Shettleston; 2:17:26)
- Matthew Leach (Bedford & County; 2:17:38)
- Josh Lunn (Cardiff AC; 2:17:59)
- Dan Nash (Cardiff AC; 2:18:51)
- Ross Skelton (HY Runners; 2:19:21)
- Doug Musson (Notts; debut)
- Jamie Crowe (Central, debut)
- Phil Sesemann (Leeds City, debut)

British women
- Charlotte Purdue 
  (Club: Aldershot Farnham & District AC; Marathon PB 2:25:28)
- Natasha Cockram (Micky Morris Racing Team; 2:30:03)
- Rose Harvey (Clapham Chasers; 2:30:58)
- Naomi Mitchell (Reading AC; 2:33:23)
- Helen Davies (Ipswich Jaffa; 2:34:06)
- Samantha Harrison (Charnwood, 2:51:33)

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