CALLUM Hawkins has set his sights on another tilt at global glory after obliterating the Scottish record to claim 10th place at the London Marathon on Sunday.
The 26-year-old Kilbarchan AAC runner held on to clock 2:08.14 to become the third fastest Briton of all-time, finishing less than six minutes behind Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, who claimed a record fourth victory in the race.
That time booked Hawkins’ spot at this autumn’s World Championships in Doha, as well as putting him in contention for next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
READ MORE: Hawkins second only to Mo Farah in British all-time rankings after record-breaking win in Japan
And in finally wiping Allister Hutton’s 34-year-old Scottish mark from the books, he proved he is back as a contender again – 12 months after his dramatic collapse at the Commonwealth Games.
“I’m glad I was roughly about the same time as Steve Jones on that course,” said Hawkins, who was on track to overhaul his mentor’s time before slowing over the closing two miles.
“It was pretty much windy the entire way on that course. I was hoping for 2.07 but I’m still happy with 2.08.
READ MORE: Hawkins eyeing full return after Valencia half-marathon
“I actually had a funny moment about 40km in where it utterly smacked me in the face and I was like ‘oh s***’ but I managed to get my head back together and get back into it.
“I actually picked up a bit of a cold a few weeks ago but I don’t think it affected me.”
Hawkins described his run as “a good stepping stone” for the end of the year and the World Championships, adding: “Hopefully I can push for a medal.”
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