SUNDERLAND’S Great Britain international Alyson Dixon is set to fulfil her dream of representing England in the Commonwealth Games Marathon this summer – after seeing her gamble of not competing in Sunday's London Marathon seemingly pay off.
The 35-year-old Sunderland Stroller chose instead to rely on her time of 2 hours 31 mins 8 secs in Brighton last year and waiting to see if her mark was beaten by any other Englishwomen hoping to make the three-strong team.
In the event no one came close to eclipsing Dixon’s time – Notts AC’s Amy Whitehead was the first of her rivals to finish in 13th place in a time of 2 hours 34 mins 20 secs, earning automatic selection for Glasgow.
But the only other English elite runner, Cornwall’s Emma Stepto, was 14th, outside the 2 hours 35 mins qualifying time in 2:36:05, though she had the consolation of being the first over-40 finisher.
The in-form Dixon has shot to the top of the UK Half Marathon and 10K road race rankings in recent weeks with new personal-best performances of 70 mins 38 secs and 32 mins 35 secs respectively.
England Athletics will make their final decision on their selections for Glasgow on June 2.
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