Athletics: Runners to benefit from new scheme

On the day that Liz McColgan finished third in the Tokyo International Women's Marathon, a scheme aimed at bringing back the good times to British distance running was announced in London.

It will be a joint effort between the British Athletic Federation and the London Marathon, and follows discussions with many of the country's leading runners and coaches.

The initiative is also being funded by the Foundation for Sport and the Arts, with the first year's budget totalling some pounds 60,000.

It will cover an elite male and female squad and their coaches, and pay for warm weather training, altitude preparation, racing opportunities and medical support.

The scheme is being co-ordinated by the former European 5000m champion Bruce Tulloh, Norman Poole, from the BAF, and the London Marathon's Alan Storey. A nationwide series of races starts next summer.