The British distance runner will set out to repeat his 2021 victory over the half-marathon in Newcastle this weekend
Marc Scott is set to chase another win at the Great North Run this Sunday (September 8), aiming to reclaim the title he first won in 2021.
That year, the 30-year-old crossed the finish line in 61:22, narrowly beating Kenya’s Ed Cheserek and becoming the second British winner since 1985 to win the title.
Since then, Scott has continued to build on his success. This year alone, Scott ventured into the marathon scene, making his debut in London where he placed 11th in 2:11:19 – making him the third-fastest Brit behind Emile Cairess and Mahamed Mahamed.
Despite a solid marathon debut, Scott had his sights set on the Olympic qualifying time of 2:08:10 as he tells AW it was a performance to “forget about and move on from.”
Marc Scott 2021 (Great North Run)
Though the Paris Olympics were out of reach, Scott has already made his mark on the Olympic stage, having represented Great Britain in Tokyo 2021 in both the 5000m and 10,000m.
The following year, he ran a new European indoor 5000m record in Boston, clocking 12:57.08 and picked up a world indoor bronze in the 3000m in Belgrade.
Scott trains with the NN Running Team, an elite group that includes marathon great Eliud Kipchoge. Training alongside some of the world’s top athletes, he joins them at least once a year out in Iten, Kenya.
In great shape, he has already had one victory this weekend at the UKA 5km Road Running Championships on Friday night (September 6), crossing the line in 13:56.
Marc Scott (Great North Run)
This Sunday, however, promises to be even more special, as Scott will be cheered on by his four-month-old son, Albie, as he continues to juggle life as a new father and elite athlete.
Here’s our Q&A with Scott below:
How have your preparations been for the Great North Run?
Training has been going well, it is obviously a massive occasion and I love doing this race. Winning it in 2021 just makes me want to win again. I’ve been running some good mileage and I am building up for a big marathon at some point whether it’s this year or next.
Marathon running isn’t just an overnight thing, it is years and years of hard and consistent training. I haven’t raced an awful lot in the last few months because I didn’t want to break up the big training load I have been doing. I wanted to get into a rhythm and settle in.
My fiancé and I had a baby in May so it has been a learning curve to juggle that as well as a big training load. It’s just to see where we are at and how the body copes with the sleepless nights.
What will be the definition of success for you this weekend?
I definitely want to get on the podium. I feel like with road races, you either win or you don’t. Whereas I feel track is different if you win a bronze or silver medal at the World Championships.
Winning would be a success and running a good time would be a success. But I haven’t done a half marathon for a little while so I want to see where I am at as I move forward into the year. There is a good field assembled and I just hope they all show up on the day and we can have a battle at the front.
Marc Scott (NN Running)
Do you feel pressure as the 2021 champion, and how do you cope with that pressure?
I don’t feel much pressure. I am fairly well-known around the area and especially from winning back then. It gives me more confidence knowing that the people on the streets know who I am and they know that I won, it adds to the fire. It makes me want to do even better.
With it being so close to home there is no way I didn’t want to do it, it’s only a couple stops on the train.
After making your marathon debut in London, will you begin focusing more on the longer distance?
I was never happy after crossing the finish line in London. I didn’t get anywhere near where I think my potential is. I obviously wanted to qualify for the Olympics and go down that path with a marathon debut but it wasn’t meant to be on the day. I knew it deep down but I didn’t want to let it get to me. It was just a bit too much to ask for on the day.
I’m not the person who is going to let an Olympic sport get away from me and not give it a go. I haven’t watched my race back from London, it was one I wanted to forget about and move on from but I know I have a lot more potential in that event.
There will definitely be another marathon on the cards and if things keep progressing the way they have been then it is possible I will do one at the back end of the year. If not, we will look at going in the spring again.
What benefits does training with the NN running team give you?
I usually go once a year in terms of when it fits best into my season. It’s full of guys who have run these amazing marathon times and have been to the Olympics and have won major titles.
It is great knowing that you are surrounded by people who are like minded and they have been through it as well. If you are keeping up in training and have been running some great training sessions it gives you a lot of confidence. You feel like you fit in and belong there. Hopefully one day I can run times like they have.
I also have people in Iten, like Phil Sesemann and Emile Cairess who were on the team in Paris. They usually go out every year and even just to join them in training has been great for me as well.
Marc Scott (Mark Shearman)
How does training in Iten compare to training in the UK?
It is totally different. The biggest thing is getting your nutrition right in order to be able to train at a good level because it is so different over there. There isn’t as much protein and people are eating ugali for breakfast which isn’t something we do. We cannot run off of eating ugali for breakfast, it isn’t how we cope and deal with things.
If you are not an early morning person it can be quite tough because everyone is up at 5am and out the door to start training. Those are the adjustments you have to make and I think it’s great that you can immerse within the culture of it and see how they do it over there.
What are your plans for the rest of the season?
I will be going away for a training camp for four weeks to get a good training block in. My main target is to run under 60 minutes for the half marathon and there is only one place I would look to go to for that – which is the Valencia Half Marathon.
I have no plans beyond that really but coming into the cross country season if I am in good shape and we don’t do a late marathon in the year, then I might look to do some cross country and hopefully make the European cross team.
Would you ever return to competing on the track?
I am a bit old to be a track runner now! I am 30 years old, you come off these quicker track sessions having these aches and pains which you don’t really get on the roads with the carbon footwear. The footwear helps a lot and I feel like I am a bit injury prone to be on the track multiple times a week. I still run track but I don’t do any sessions like I used to.
I think I have done what I wanted to do on the track – run sub-13 in the 5000m and get a world indoor medal. I think those two things together are probably more than I thought I would ever get out of track. There are new opportunities and more to look for on the roads for me.
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