The shock announcement on Sunday that Fionnuala Britton will run in the marathon at the European Championships on August 16 is a high-risk strategy which has raised eyebrows in the athletics community.

Distance runners often look lucky to be able to stand up after some races, but one man fell to his knees for a very different reason yesterday.

Kenya’s Patrick Makau today smashed the world record as he successfully defended his Berlin marathon title, with former record holder Haile Gebrselassie dramatically dropping out of the race.