By Peter Jardine
‘Don’t look behind you when racing’ is sage advice often offered by coaches to athletes of all ages down the decades.
It is a generalisation by nature, of course, but it might also directly apply to the approach favoured by an individual. In this case, Callum Hawkins.
The Scottish Marathon Record holder has had a tough couple of years with a series of injuries threatening his career.
Victory for the third time in the Great Scottish Run in Glasgow last Sunday morning raised hope for his next racing assignment: the New York Marathon.
Sunday 3 November is fast approaching and Calum clearly still firmly believes, at one point in the short or medium term future, he can get back to somewhere around his 2:08.14 marathon best from 2019. Or run quicker, even.
‘I don’t think about what has happened to me in terms of injuries or setbacks – or look back too much,’ said the double Olympian from Kilbarchan AAC.
‘I still feel there is a really good marathon time in me.
‘I feel like a 24-year-old developing athlet. OK, sometimes I do forget I am 32! I still feel I have a lot left in the sport.
‘I will keep going until pretty much I can’t run. I don’t feel I have had a proper crack at it with the new carbon shoes. So that makes be believe I can run quicker than before. I feel I can still reach my potential and challenge for a medal at a championship.’
Regular bone injuries have been a problem and a shattered collar-bone early in 2024 cost valuable training time in the countdown to this year’s London Marathon. With limited training, Callum clocked 2:17.34 – with the positive being he finished the race unscathed.
‘I’ve had various injuries,’ he explained.
‘Every November I seem to get some sort of bone injury. So I have had to change up training routines, adapt, do rehab programmes and all that kind of stuff.
‘Then 2024 didn’t start too well with a broken collar-bone – at an important point in the build-up to London.
‘But everything I do is geared with trying to get back to where I was. Injuries and rehab can be hard for athletes . . . but I am not the type to dwell on things.
‘I move on, pick a goal and try and work towards that and look to do what I can to improve my fitness.’
A 63:25 victory at the Great Scottish Run was another step in the right direction.
‘It felt good. I am…
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