As younger brother Callum earned further plaudits in the event at which he too has become an Olympian Derek Hawkins ruefully admitted that he has already ruled out the possibility of joining him in Scotland’s Commonwealth Games team that is heading for the Gold Coast next year.
The 25-year-old from Kilbarchan AC put in a heroic performance as, his preparations have been ravaged by a sacrum injury, he battled through the pain barrier to join his sibling in becoming an Olympian last year, defying those problems to break two and a half hours.
“His efforts might have drawn considerably more attention, particularly in his homeland, had Callum not shone as he did, taking the race to the world class field and claiming an unexpected top 10 finish, going on from strength to strength thereafter in embarrassing Mo Farah at the Edinburgh Cross Country when he became the first British athlete to beat him for seven years January, setting a new Scottish half marathon record in Japan and reclaiming the Scottish cross country title along the way.
Read more: Laura Muir misses out on World Championships medal in brutal fashion
There might, then, be some resentment from the man who was previously considered to be the great dark blue hope of marathon running, but instead, as he waited at Tower Pier for Callum to emerge from the attendant media, he was clearly thrilled and admitted to having been transported from his own problems in his enforced role of supportive spectator rather than rival competitor.
“It was a cracking run,” was his assessment of Callum’s effort which saw him claim a fourth place finish, matching the best ever by a male Briton at the World Championships, gaining on the bronze medallist all the way.
It was not just Callum’s physical prowess that had impressed, but his mental effort as he refused to be fazed when an electrifying burst took a group of the African runners away midway through the race and calmly stuck to his own plan, working his way back up to within sight of Tanzania’s bronze medallist Alphonce Felix Simbu in the closing stages.
“He ran it about as perfect as he could have done,” Derek continued.
“When they put the boot in he kept a level head and just worked his way through. Bronze was almost there, it was just that guy was stronger, but it was a really good run, a PB in warm weather.
“From what we could see it was quite a violent change of pace.
“The way the weather is as well it’s not really hot but it’s a slow cooker type really, so he did absolutely the right thing.
Read more: Laura Muir misses out on World Championships medal in brutal fashion
“When the gaps started to come he just kept his concentration and worked his way through.”
While his current inability to train properly means it would be going too far to suggest he could draw immediate inspiration from Callum’s efforts he was clearly uplifted by the London experience.
“I’m doing ok,” he said.
“I’ve had a lot of issues this year with my heel, but I’ve finally started to make some progress with it.
“I’m not in a position to do Commonwealth Games or anything like that, so I’m maybe looking at an autumn marathon next year.
“So it’s disappointing but when it’s Callum running I don’t actually think about myself in these types of races, you get so engrossed in what he’s up to do so it was a good day.”
When both took part in the Commonwealth Games three years ago there was a temptation to start looking to draw comparison between them and Scotland’s most famous sporting brothers, the Murrays, driven on as they are by a parent, in their case father Robert, who is also their coach and both involved in what is fundamentally the same sport yet different disciplines at that time with Derek - who was, then, the age Callum is now - contesting the marathon where he finished in a very respectable ninth place and Callum the 10,0000 metres where he finished in 20th spot.
Read more: Laura Muir misses out on World Championships medal in brutal fashion
With Callum’s decision, two years ago, to step up to the marathon, a distance that he has still run competitively on only four occasions, a better comparison might now be made with triathlon’s Brownlee brothers and the way they push one another on in both training and competition. However Derek is very much aware that he now has a great deal of work to do if he is ever again to be the best marathon runner in his family.
“With the sacrum injury last year and then the heel it’s just been a bad time for me to get injured,” he said.
“Callum’s come on leaps and bounds so I’ve got to try to close an even bigger gap now.”
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