CHRIS O'HARE

BRITISH MILER RECALLS AN EARLY APPEARANCE AT THE MINI LONDON MARATHON BACK IN 2008

- Ryan Goad

THE Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon is one of the most prestigious youth events in the country and has seen some of the cream of British athletes come through the system and then go on to make their mark on the world stage.

This year is the 10th year the Mini Marathon has been the British Championships for under-13, under-15 and under-17 athletes and held over the three-mile distance.

In the run-up to the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon, we will be looking at some of the athletes who have come through the ranks of the Mini Marathon to make it on the global stage.

CHRIS O’HARE, SCOTLAND 2008, fifth under-17 men CHRIS O’HARE’S assertion that he ‘had a bit of a stinker’ in his one and only Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon appearance probably goes a long way to explaining why he is now one of Britain’s best middle-distance athletes.

By most people’s standards, O’Hare’s run was hardly a stinker. He finished fifth in the under-17 men’s race in 2008, 13 seconds back on the winner, Jeremy Gilmour of Greater Manchester, and helped the Scotland team to a second place overall in the team standings.

But the US-based star, now 27, sets high standards for himself and it is arguably that mindset that has seen him succeed at the highest level of the sport.