TALENTED Jersey track and road runner Jo Gorrod has won countless long distance titles, but tomorrow’s Standard Chartered Jersey Marathon is set to be her toughest – as well as longest – race yet.

The multi-Island Games medallist is a champion at 5,000m, 10,000m and the half-marathon, but she has never before run the full 26.2 mile course. In her first ever attempt Gorrod hopes to crack the three hour mark, but says she will be more concerned with how her body adapts to the distance.

She said: ‘Obviously I’m going to have to see how it goes, because I don’t know how I’m going to react past 20 miles. My aim is to run just under three hours, but I think it’s going to depend a lot on what the weather will be like.’
Gorrod decided earlier this year that she would step up her training in preparation for the Jersey Marathon, although she admits it is something she has been thinking about for some time.

‘I think everybody who is involved in long distance running wants to have a go at doing a marathon, although it doesn’t suit everybody. I’ve been thinking about it for quite a long time, but I had to get the timing right, so that I’m not concentrating on the Island Games or other competitions.’