The Scottish marathon record-holder will make his half marathon return on home turf in Glasgow
Callum Hawkins is set to make his first half marathon appearance of the year this Sunday (October 6) at the AJ Bell Great Scottish Run in Glasgow.
The 32-year-old hasn’t competed in any half marathons this season, but he did race in the London Marathon back in April, finishing in 16th place with a time of 2:17:34.
Callum Hawkins on his long-awaited return to marathon racing
In 2019, the Kilbarchan athlete set the Scottish marathon record at the London Marathon with a time of 2:08:14, securing a tenth-place finish. That same year, he placed fourth at the World Championships in Doha over the 26.2 miles.
Callum Hawkins (Mark Shearman)
However, his journey took a challenging turn when the pandemic hit in 2020, leading to a series of injuries that forced him to take a step back, including surgery on a bone fragment in his foot and treatment for a broken collarbone earlier this year.
This weekend, he will be eager to defend his Great Scottish Run title, having won it twice before in 2022 and 2016.
Hawkins will be joined by athletes including Andrew Heyes and John Bell, the latter being the reigning Scottish Half Marathon and Great North 10k champion.
In the women’s race, rising star Natasha Phillips, the U20 European and British Half Marathon record-holder, will hope to make her mark on home turf. The 19-year-old also claimed the Scottish National Cross Country U20 title earlier this year in Falkirk.
Natasha Phillips (Bobby Gavin)
The event will also feature a 10km race, where double Olympian Chris Thompson, who recently announced his retirement, will make his final professional race in Scotland.
The 43-year-old, who represented Great Britain at two Olympic Games and earned a European 10,000m silver medal, previously won the Great Scottish Run half marathon in both 2017 and 2018.
Thompson’s final race before officially retiring will be at the Great South Run on October 20.
The event is set to be the largest ever, with over 30,000 participants taking to the streets of Glasgow.
The 10km race will begin at 8:30am with the half marathon beginning at 10am.
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