Athletics: Lemoncello is impressed with the Capital’s fast show

Andrew LEMONCELLO, Scotland’s leading marathon runner and would-be 2012 Olympian, was pleased with his own performance and very impressed with the first two in yesterday’s BUPA Great Edinburgh 10k Run, Kenya’s Martin Mathathi and Titus Mbishei, who both broke the course record.

Mathathi followed up his course record for the Great North Run half marathon last month by covering the hilly 10k course in 28 minutes three seconds yesterday, with Mbishei, last year’s winner, just five seconds behind.

“That’s very fast for that course,” said Lemoncello, who was seventh in 30 minutes exactly, just a second ahead of fellow GB international steeplechaser Stuart Stokes, with whom he ran throughout.

Lemoncello also led the East to victory in the Scottish Inter-District Championship.

“I’m fitter than I thought I was,” said the 28-year-old. “I didn’t run fast but I ran well considering how hard the course is and the fact I only started back training this week.” As feared, Capital hope Freya Murray (Edinburgh AC) was unable to run in yesterday’s race due to back and hip problems. Murray’s arch-rival from England, Aldershot’s Charlotte Purdue was one of the successes of yesterday’s event, finishing second woman, just 30 seconds down on Great North Run winner Lucy Kaluu (Kenya), whose time was 32:28.