Marathon chief's delight at Brown entry
London Marathon race director David Bedford is delighted Jon Brown will compete in next year’s event and believes the British number one can run a lifetime best on the new super-fast course.
Canada-based Brown, 33, who has suffered the agony of finishing fourth in the last two Olympic marathons, is no stranger to the London event.
The former European Cross Country champion’s best performance came five years ago when running a personal best of two hours nine minutes and 44 seconds for fourth place.
Now Bedford, who yesterday announced what is regarded as the best field ever assembled for any of the world’s big city marathons, believes Brown will make inroads into that achievement.
“I’m delighted Jon will again be running in London and I’m sure, on what is a significantly faster course, he can achieve his personal best,” said Bedford, delighted with his new signings which include Olympic champion Stefano Baldini of Italy.
The 26 miles, 385 yards course, which has seen some contestants fall in the past, has undergone changes which see a diversion around the Tower Hotel and the cobbles of the Tower of London.
That troublesome stretch has been replaced by a fast section along the Highway and Tower Hill estimated to make the route around 45 seconds faster.
