Josh Griffiths qualifies for GB World Champs team after starting with the masses

The Yuki Kawauchi of GB?

Aged just 21. Nice one.

He should open up his Strava account and get a big surge in daily kudos.

https://www.strava.com/athletes/2579758

Wow. Robbie is a great mountain/trail runner, great to see him get a ticket to Worlds/Commonwealths on the roads. I hope Salomon gives him a bonus ;)

I hope other european federations take note, that if the standards aren't

m 2:09ish/w 2:29ish, they will get more non-professional athletes taking a stab at getting the standards (important since there are very few professional elites or sub-elites) and thus keep it interesting/alive. Also having London host the wmm/national championships/world qualifier and encouraging clubs really helps.

Jonathan Gault wrote:

The top 2 Brits in today's London Marathon qualified for the World Champs team alongside Callum Hawkins, who was already selected.

Initially we thought Robbie Simpson (2:15:04) and Andrew Davies (2:15:11) were the top two Brits as they were the first two listed in the elite results. But it turns out that a club runner, Josh Griffiths, who started with the masses (just behind the elites) actually ran faster than both of them. Griffiths, who ran a half marathon pb of 65:18 last month, ran 2:14:49 in his debut to finish as the top Brit in 14th. So the World Champs team is Hawkins, Griffiths and Simpson.

Incredible.

Was the top Brit based on gun time or chip time? Jon Gault, you really didn't say. Or did Griffiths do both?

how on earth is this story not on the front page of LR ?

a 23 year-old unknown, self-trained sub-elite runs a sub 2:15 and beats the actual elites

btw also a time which would make US Olympic Trials A standard

isn't this the very dream of many readers/posters on LRC ?

He ran a 65min HM a few weeks ago but his othe PBS are nothing special.

http://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=83330

Fair play to him.

stephen snell wrote:

Jonathan Gault wrote:

The top 2 Brits in today's London Marathon qualified for the World Champs team alongside Callum Hawkins, who was already selected.

Initially we thought Robbie Simpson (2:15:04) and Andrew Davies (2:15:11) were the top two Brits as they were the first two listed in the elite results. But it turns out that a club runner, Josh Griffiths, who started with the masses (just behind the elites) actually ran faster than both of them. Griffiths, who ran a half marathon pb of 65:18 last month, ran 2:14:49 in his debut to finish as the top Brit in 14th. So the World Champs team is Hawkins, Griffiths and Simpson.

Incredible.

Was the top Brit based on gun time or chip time? Jon Gault, you really didn't say. Or did Griffiths do both?

he did both, and he was actually 13th overall (finished behind kibrom, but his chip time is a few seconds ahead due to the gap between elite/mass start). The next guy in front of him is the reigning Olympic silver medalist. Great story and good for him.

Also the 4th GB athlete (ahead of scott overall) was also a club runner who ran 2:16:18. Good day for the mass starters.

actual news wrote:

how on earth is this story not on the front page of LR ?

a 23 year-old unknown, self-trained sub-elite runs a sub 2:15 and beats the actual elites

btw also a time which would make US Olympic Trials A standard

isn't this the very dream of many readers/posters on LRC ?

Agreed. This site should be giving coverage to guys like this rather than to a bunch of doping Africans who should not have even been running in the race.