After making his first major decision about where his senior athletic future lay Robbie Simpson headed for the hills, but when the world mountain running championship bronze medallist finally decided to give the big city a go he was impressed with what he saw.
The 25-year-old from Banchory has made a considerable reputation for himself on the Alpine circuit, ending last season by becoming the first Briton to win Switzerland’s prestigious Jungfrau Marathon, only just failing to break three hours in what is regarded as the world’s hilliest marathon.
He loves the challenge such courses represent, explaining that he found the track too limiting preferring instead the freedom of running through the countryside.
Yet when he decided, last year, to expose himself to sights of a different kind he was pleasantly surprised.
“I really enjoyed the London Marathon last year,” said Simpson.
“I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences I’ve had. The atmosphere was great, so even though I prefer running in mountains and forests, because London’s a point to point race there’s so much to take in. Running over Tower Bridge was a great moment.”
That he enjoyed it as much as he did was all the more remarkable because Simpson’s participation was very much in doubt after he suffered a stomach bug just days before the event.
“On the Sunday night and Monday I was really ill, Tuesday I was struggling and by the Wednesday I was getting pains every time I ate something, so I was just delighted when I crossed the line. I lost a minute in the last five kilometres, but I was delighted,” he said.
So he should be given that his time of two hours 15 minutes and 38 seconds was just eight seconds outside the Scottish qualifying time for next year’s Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast.
As he prepares for what will be only his second orthodox marathon bid, then, he seems curious as much as anything else about what might be possible in London this time around.
Once again he had a bout of sickness that interrupted his preparation, but this time it merely interfered with his final warm up race, striking him just ahead of last month’s Lisbon half marathon and resulting in a time of 65 minutes 25 seconds rather than his target of around 63 minutes, still an impressive time in the eyes of most but irksome to Simpson who felt he could still have gone better.
He admits that it can be difficult to get up to pace as he makes the switch in tempo from grinding it out in the hills, but there is an element of entering the unknown as, feeling fully fit, he prepares for this weekend’s contest.
“I think I can still go a few minutes quicker, but it will be interesting to see how the work I’ve done translates to an actual race now,” said Simpson.
While, strangely, he is out of his comfort zone in taking on easier terrain, there is a sense that it is a risk he knows he can afford to take.
“I would really like to spend a year focusing on the marathon, but mountain running will always be there to go back to,” he noted.
In saying so he expresses his gratitude for the backing he received from Banchory-based businessman Bert McIntosh of McIntosh Plant Hire who, after the pair had competed together when Simpson was a youngster, provided the financial backing that let him pursue his ambitions by shifting his base to Mittenwald on the German side of the Austrian border and, now knowing he can earn a living in the hills, it is in a relatively relaxed frame of mind that he sets himself targets for this race.
“I’ve got two options, the first of which is trying to qualify for the World Championships,” said Simpson.
“The time is 2:16, but the tough bit is you’ve got to be in the first two Brits. That will be tough but I have to go for it. Then there’s Commonwealth Games qualification for Scotland where the time is 2:15.30. I’d like to achieve that as well.”
He laughs at the observation that, at least in terms of outlining the time targets, he is reaffirming the point made by Morag McLarty on winning the Scottish Cross Country title this year that it is becoming harder these days to get into Scottish teams than British ones and he shares in the pride that was implicit in that observation.
“It’s a really great thing that it’s so competitive,” said Simpson.
“I was thinking about it recently that 10 years ago I might have been happy to break 2:20 but now there’s something to aim for with what the likes of Callum and Derek Hawkins are doing. I know Derek’s not ready yet but I’m sure he will have a shot at it later in the year.”
Simpson is one of three Scots in the elite men’s race at London, along with Andrew Lemoncello and Tsegai Tewelde, while Susan Partridge lines up in the women’s race.
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