Lucy Reid on running 2:26:35 in her first ever marathon

The long-distance runner recorded the third quickest marathon debut by a British female athlete in history

Lucy Reid believes that the sky is the limit.

Last month, the British long-distance runner clocked 2:26:35 – her gun time was 2:26:37 – at the Malaga Marathon (December 15), a mark which put the 32-year-old 14th on the UK all-time list over 26.2 miles.

It was also the third quickest marathon debut by a British female athlete in history. Only Paula Radcliffe (2:18:56) and Calli Hauger-Thackery (2:22:17) have gone faster in their first race over the distance.

Remarkably, Reid initially planned to run in Valencia two weeks prior to Malaga, but had to postpone her debut marathon by a fortnight because of a sickness bug and sprained ankle.

Her build-up to the marathon included three popular domestic races – The Big Half, Vitality London 10,000 and Manchester Half-Marathon.

Reid placed third, second and first and the respective events and recorded a personal best over 13.1 miles of 69:13 in the latter.

Early on in 2024, Reid also travelled to Iten, Kenya to take part in a high-altitude training camp – a trip that she describes as a “rightful passage” – but sadly sprained her ankle only a few days into the trip.

Overcoming challenges and adversity is nothing new for Reid, who balances a full-time job at JPMorgan Chase with her running endeavours.

Here is an exclusive interview with Reid on her 2:26:35 marathon, how she got into running and potential over 26.2 miles.

How did it feel to run 2:26:35 on debut in Malaga?

I was delighted with the run and to nail the first one was really special. I hadn’t even thought about having a debut marathon that ranked anywhere. When someone said to me that it was the third quickest debut marathon by a British female athlete I couldn’t quite believe it!

I felt like I had it in me to run mid-2:20s based on where I was fitness wise. So to deliver it when it mattered was really special.

What was your training like going into Malaga?

So in the immediate build-up to Malaga – a few weeks before it – I had a sprained ankle and sickness bug ahead of the marathon. Prior to that however things had gone really smoothly and I was able to put together a consistent four-month block.

Being my first marathon, I did longer mileage in a block than before. In past years, we worked that I responded well to marathon-style training so the block didn’t look too indifferent to some…