Paul Navesey

2020 was a tough year, but it gave Paul the chance to get over an ankle injury, train pain-free, and rediscover why he loves racing.

Coming from an ultra-running background taught him a lot about self-care over long efforts — different distance, but the lessons about pacing and managing the second half of a race still apply to the marathon.

On the Kew Gardens course, Paul's pragmatic: he likes the head-to-head format, and reckons "the course may not be perfect but certainly I'd be hopeful of a PB." His current best is 2:17:16, and he's aiming to beat it on the way to Commonwealth Games selection.

On the gap to East African runners, Paul puts it down to culture more than raw ability — running is embedded differently in Kenyan and Ethiopian sporting culture, where British athletes often look for more external support. He's optimistic that Britain's recent marathon improvements show real momentum.