Fionnuala McCormack sets lifetime best at Valencia Marathon

McCormack's time was just 16 seconds shy of the automatic qualifying standard for next year's World Championships in Tokyo (2:23:30).

LIFETIME BEST: Fionnuala McCormack clocked the fastest marathon of her career in Valencia this morning, the 40-year-old taking 12 seconds off her previous best when finishing 11th in 2:23:46.

Fionnuala McCormack clocked the fastest marathon of her career in Valencia this morning, the 40-year-old taking 12 seconds off her previous best when finishing 11th in 2:23:46.

That was 83 seconds shy of Catherina McKiernan’s national record of 2:22:23, while Mayo native Sinéad Diver – who moved to Melbourne in her early 20s and now runs for Australia – remains the fastest Irishwoman of all time with the 2:21:34 she ran in Valencia two years ago.