It has just been confirmed by London Marathon Events that the Vitality London 10,000 on Bank Holiday Monday 2 May 2022 will feature a clash between the UK's fastest ever women's half marathon runner and the UK's fourth-ranked marathoner of all time.

Eilish McColgan (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers) is yet to make her marathon debut but she has been in stunning form on the roads at shorter distances, setting a European women’s-only 10K record when she won the Great Manchester Run (30:52) last September. McColgan has continued that form in 2022 and last month she overtook Paula Radcliffe in the British all-time rankings for the half-marathon with 1:06:26 at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon, UAE.  

McColgan will be making her Vitality London 10,000 debut but her domestic rival Charlotte Purdue (Aldershot, Farnham & District) has previous experience of the course and last ran the Vitality London 10,000 in 2017 (3rd in 33:32) and has a 10K personal best of 32:10 set in 2012.  Purdue has since enjoyed a breakthrough at 26.2 miles by running the fourth-fastest time by a British woman ever at the 2021 London Marathon (2:23:26). 

McColgan, who will start as favourite with her superior 10K PB, is clearly looking forward to her first Vitality London 10,000 saying: “I’ve been really pleased with my form on the roads this year and I’m looking forward to taking part in the Vitality London 10,000 for the first time. It’s going to be a really good opportunity for me to test myself over a fast 10km course and against good competition.”

Meanwhile, Purdue plans to slot this race in between the Boston Marathon and the World Championships Marathon, as she explains: "I always love racing in London so I can't wait to return to the Vitality London 10,000. It's fantastic the event is back on its famous course again and I'm sure it will be a fast, hard race. It's going to be a great indicator for me of how well I've recovered from the Boston Marathon as I begin my preparations for the World Championships Marathon in Oregon". 

Britain's best female athletes will join the seven-time men's champion Sir Mo Farah, who has recently hinted at a return to the track this summer and who will be racing for the first time since recovering from the broken foot that hampered his attempt to make the Tokyo Olympics.

Previous results and stories on this iconic event at runABC South race listing here

Image courtesy Vitality London 10,000 on Twitter and on Facebook