Scottish marathon record holder to return to home turf in Glasgow with half marathon
Callum Hawkins is set to tackle his first half marathon of the year at the AJ Bell Great Scottish Run in Glasgow this Sunday (October 6).
The 32-year-old hasn’t run a half-marathon this season, but he did run the London Marathon back in April, finishing 16th in 2:17:34.
Callum Hawkins on his long-awaited return to marathon racing
In 2019, the Kilbarchan athlete set a Scottish marathon record at the London Marathon with a time of 2:08:14 to secure tenth place. That same year, he was fourth at the 2019 World Championships over 26.2 miles.
Callum Hawkins (Mark Shearman)
However, his journey took a difficult turn when the pandemic hit in 2020, leading to a series of injuries that forced him to step back, including surgery on a broken leg and treatment for a broken vertebra earlier this year.
This weekend he is looking to defend his Great Scottish Run title, having won it twice before in 2016 and 2022.
Hawkins will be joined by the likes of Andrew Hayes and John Bell, the latter the reigning Scottish Half Marathon and Great North 10km champion.
In the women’s race, rising star Natasha Phillips, the under-20 European and British half-marathon record holder, will be hoping to make her mark on home turf. The 19-year-old also won the Scottish Under-20 title in Falkirk earlier this year.
Natasha Phillips (Bobby Gavin)
The Great Scottish Run will also feature a 10km race where two-time Olympian Chris Thompson, who recently announced his retirement, will make his final professional appearance in Scotland.
The 43-year-old, who has represented Great Britain at two Olympics and won a European 10,000m silver medal, previously won the Great Scottish Run Half Marathon in both 2017 and 2018.
Thompson’s final meeting before officially retiring will be on October 20 at the Great South Run.
The Great Scottish Run will be the biggest ever, with over 30,000 participants taking to the streets of Glasgow.
The 10km race will start at 8.30am and the half marathon at 10am.
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