PURDUE NAMED BRITISH CAPTAIN FOR IAAF WORLD HALF MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIPS

Charlotte Purdue (coach: Nic Bideau; club: Aldershot, Farnham & District) has been chosen as captain for the British team for this weekend’s IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia.

Purdue has enjoyed a fine start to the year, securing her selection for the World Half Marathon Championships three days after lowering her personal best by exactly a minute on the way to victory at the British Championships in London.

The 26-year-old clocked 70:29 minutes for the victory in the capital and will run over the 13.1-mile distance in Valencia having been the first British female home in finishing 13th in the marathon at the IAAF World Championships on her last appearance for the country in 2017.

Purdue, the only member of the squad to have competed at the last World Half Marathon Championships on home soil Cardiff in 2016, will captain a full Great Britain & Northern Ireland team of ten, five men and five women, in Spain. Both the men’s and women’s races take place on Saturday 24 March.

Charlotte Purdue said: “I am so excited to be captain for this weekend’s IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. It is always very special for me to run for Great Britain & Northern Ireland and to lead the team this weekend in Valencia will make it even more special. Being a team event, on both the men’s and women’s side, we have a great group of athletes who I know will join me in giving 110 per cent against the rest of the world on Saturday.”

Team Leader Charlotte Fisher said: “We are delighted to have chosen Charlotte as our team captain for the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia. She is a fantastic role model and is fully deserving of the honour after a great start to 2018 following a strong 2017. We want to achieve the highest possible placing in both the men’s and women’s team standings at the Championships and Charlotte’s experience will prove vital to the squad.”

The British team set to #REPRESENT at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships on Saturday 24 March:

Men:

Ben Connor (Steve Vernon; Derby)

Luke Traynor (Andrew Kastor; Glasgow City)

Tsegai Tewelde (John MacKay; Shettleston)

Mohamud Aadan (Paul Oppe; Thames Valley)

Dan Studley (Alex Hains; Bristol & West)

Women:

Charlotte Purdue (Nic Bideau; Aldershot Farnham & District)

Gemma Steel (Liz Nuttall; Charnwood)

Charlotte Arter (Chris Jones; Cardiff)

Tracy Barlow (Nick Anderson; Thames Valley)

Faye Fullerton (Georgina Fullerton; Havering)