Top Scot Backed After Winning Danish Half

24 MAY2012

With victory in the Lillebaelt International half marathon in March, it seems Hayley Haining has peaked at the right time as she prepares for the Edinburgh Marathon. Hayley, 40, achieved victory in Denmark with a strong time of 1:15:29 and will lead the elite female field in the capital this weekend.

Victory for the Kilbarchan AAC runner would represent the first time in five years that a Scottish woman has secured top slot. The last victory for a home-based runner occurred in 2007, when Fiona Matheson took first place in 2007 with a time of 2:54:43.

With her marathon PB standing at 2:29:18, Hayley, on paper, is the strongest runner in the field. Her form recently is close to hitting the heights of 2008, when she capped off a prolific season with a half marathon time of 1:10:53.

In the half marathon event, international teammates Melissa Whyte (1:16:30) and Gemma Rankin (1:16:53) look set for an interesting battle with the best times over the distance. The Scots pair boast considerably quicker PBs than the rest of the elite field, with Gabriela Trana (1:18:44) and Issy Menzies (1:19:54) next in line.

With Haining's impressive showing in Denmark and the duo of Whyte and Rankin looking strongest in the half-marathon field, there is every chance Edinburgh could be toasting a Scottish winner this weekend.