'When I was in intensive care with Alfie I was getting pulled into this blackness'

Ann-Marie McGlynn had no issues putting the disappointment of failing to qualify for the Olympics into perspective

Irish International athlete Ann-Marie McGlynn at the launch of the Irish Life Dublin Marathon and Race Series, Runners' Support Squad. The Irish Life Dublin Marathon on Sunday 30th October is sold out. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Four seconds. That’s all it was. Four frustrating, infuriating seconds. After two and a half hours of running, it’s a margin that would sicken the strongest of stomachs – even among a subset of the population so used to suffering.

At the Cheshire Elite Marathon in England last year, Ann-Marie McGlynn turned in the best performance of her career, the Offaly native clocking a three-minute PB of 2:29:34. The Tokyo Olympic qualifying standard? 2:29:30.