IAAF/ EDF Energy World Half Marathon Championships- Preview

Kimberley Smith will be making her first half marathon debut on Sunday October 11 at the half marathon championships in Birmingham, UK.

Smith has not run a half marathon since a training run in Papakura some years ago.

Smith attended the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics in August, where she placed 8th in the 10000m with a time of 31:21.42, nearly a minute outside her personal best.

In May Kimberley Smith won the Bupa 10km Road Race in London with a time of 31m 38s.

The women’s race will begin at 9am and the men’s race at 9:30am (GMT + 1 hr).

Paula Radcliffe, who holds the IAAF record for a half marathon, will not be competing due to tonsillitis.

“This will be a good opportunity to see Kim transition to a marathon leading to 2012. This half marathon could be what Kim needs mentally and physically to give here the state of mind to make the transition” said Kevin Ankrom, High Performance Director.