London Marathon 2012 Results: Claire Hallissey Must Carry Epic Race to Olympics

Claire Hallissey turned an epic race at the London Marathon into a spot on Great Britain's Olympic marathon team.

Now she better prove she was worth the selection.

At least one British runner, Jo Pavey, believes the selection committee may have made an oversight. From Simon Hart of The Telegraph:

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Pavey opted to sit out Sunday’s London Marathon to keep herself fresh for the summer but paid the price when Hallissey ran the race of her life to cross the finish line in 2 hours 27 minutes 44 seconds—well inside the 2-28-24 clocked by Pavey in the same race a year ago.

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But Pavey believes the 2-28-42 she ran in New York in November should have counted for more in the selectors’ deliberations because the course is widely acknowledged to be three or four minutes slower than London.

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Hallissey most certainly earned her place with that time, and Pavey still has the 5,000 and 10,000 meter races to focus on, so there aren't any losers here. But Hallissey is now also under pressure to prove she isn't a one-race wonder. She's representing her country, after all.

Still, Hallissey seems to have the mindset and grit she'll need at the Olympics. She approached the London Marathon knowing it would take her best race ever to earn an Olympic bid, and she went all out rather than running conservatively to get it.

That spirit will serve her well in the Olympics. And if she can run another race like the one she just ran in London, she'll prove she was a worthy selection to represent her country.

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