Natasha Phillips displays on European under-20 file in Valencia

The British athlete smashed her half-marathon private greatest on the weekend, regardless of coping with harm within the lead-up

Natasha Phillips had a powerful weekend on the Valencia Half Marathon on October 27, attaining a private greatest and European under-20 file of 70:18.

At simply 19 years previous, her efficiency not solely marked an enchancment of over a minute from her earlier greatest (71:19) but in addition positioned her nineteenth in a aggressive area.

The race was historic, with Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha setting a males’s world file of 57:40, whereas Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich claimed the second-fastest girls’s time in historical past at 63:04.

World half-marathon file for Yomif Kejelcha in Valencia

Phillips, who runs for Dundee Hawkhill Harriers, has now positioned herself fourth on the Scottish senior half-marathon rankings, a listing led by Eilish and Liz McColgan.

Eilish McColgan’s scholarship program, Giving Again to Monitor, has supplied important help to Phillips over the previous few years.

Her success on the highway has included successful the Nice Scottish Run twice, as soon as in 2023 and once more this October, together with claiming the Scottish half-marathon title in Inverness.

Phillips has additionally made her mark in cross nation. Earlier this yr, she received her first under-20 title on the Scottish Cross Nation Championships and completed third on the Inter-Counties Championships.

In March, she made her debut on the World Cross Nation Championships in Serbia, the place she represented Nice Britain and completed thirtieth.

Remarkably, Phillips solely started taking working severely in the course of the pandemic and determined to take up half marathons after combating iron deficiency.

With the announcement of the Commonwealth Video games set to happen in Glasgow in 2026, and with no highway races set to happen, she is raring to compete within the 10,000m in entrance of a house crowd.

Glasgow 2026 will stage observe and area however no marathons

Right here is our Q&A with Phillips beneath:

How did it really feel to run a PB in Valencia?

I’m over the moon with it. I used to be going into it focusing on a private greatest as a result of I actually needed to get one on the Antrim Coast Half Marathon in August however the climate was simply not on my aspect.

I got here into Valencia a bit apprehensive as a result of I had most of September off with a tendon harm and I had not run in any respect that month. I had simply completed the Nice Scottish Run at first of October and that was my first run the place I felt good and never sore.

The Nice Scottish Run gave me a little bit of confidence going into Valencia, however I used to be undecided if I used to be in the best form to run a private greatest. I put that behind me and I considered the summer time months of actually good coaching and that’s obtained to rely for one thing. So I simply believed in myself.

I wasn’t anticipating to run such a giant private better of simply over a minute. I assumed possibly a number of seconds could be good and even simply to dip underneath 71 minutes could be wonderful however to go underneath was actually thrilling.

How did your harm have an effect on your coaching?

I wasn’t capable of run for 3 weeks in September and I then spent every week constructing again up my mileage. I had about three to 4 weeks of my regular working mileage earlier than Valencia, which was fairly useful.

It was good to have that buffer of three to 4 weeks beforehand as a result of once I began working once more I might get a number of blisters and my ft would harm as a result of they weren’t used to working.

What was the environment like in Valencia?

I felt in awe that I used to be a part of that race. To have the ability to say that you simply had been working in a race that obtained the world file is wonderful. There was hardly an element the place there was no one to cheer you on.

I keep in mind working behind Clara Evans, who I stored up with for the primary 3km, and I assumed, ‘oh my god, I’m working behind an Olympian.’ It was wonderful to have such a excessive calibre of athletes in a race, and to additionally witness the second quickest time ran by a girl in historical past.

How did you first get into working?

I used to be a aggressive swimmer for almost all of my life up till simply earlier than the pandemic when I joined Dundee Hawkhill Harriers. I actually loved working at college, I might do cross nations and county sports activities so I assumed I might be a part of a working membership, why not? 

I did the cross nations for enjoyable, I used to run in actually previous path sneakers that might weigh two kilograms as a result of they’d replenish with a lot mud. However I didn’t care as a result of I beloved it.

Through the pandemic working was the one method to maintain my health up so I started working 5km’s. As soon as restrictions lifted I did an invitational cross nation occasion organised by Scottish Athletics and from there I started to take it a bit extra severely.

When did you determine to start working half marathons?

It got here from a interval of me being actually iron poor about two years in the past. I keep in mind virtually giving up as a result of I simply felt so horrible once I was working. I began taking iron dietary supplements which made me really feel quite a bit higher, encouraging me to begin doing lengthy runs on a Sunday, round 17km or 18km, and I keep in mind actually having fun with them.

I nonetheless felt horrible, so I made a decision to enter a half marathon as a result of I had nothing to lose. I entered one in Glasgow [MoRun] in 2022 and I ran 75:58, I used to be in full shock. However sadly they didn’t have the proper license and my time wasn’t official so I used to be decided to enter one other one.

I did one other one [Run Newcastle Half Marathon] in February 2023 and the identical factor occurred, so I needed to do a 3rd one to get an official time. I ended up working the Scottish Half Marathon Championships in Inverness that yr and ran 71:53.

It’s a collection of occasions that had been annoying however while you look again on it I’m actually grateful for it to have occurred as a result of it’s what obtained me into doing a number of them.

What has it been prefer to get help from Eilish McColgan?

In 2022 I used to be awarded the journey and coaching scholarship which was wonderful as a result of a whole lot of these races I wouldn’t have been capable of have completed with out her monetary help. The next yr I used to be given one in every of her important students which was actually useful because it allowed me to journey to a whole lot of competitions in England, reminiscent of trials.

It gave me an enormous confidence enhance to obtain help off anyone like Eilish McColgan, and to know that she believed in me and he or she felt just like the help was value it. To be behind her on the Scottish all-time (half-marathon) record is wonderful, I can’t consider it.

Will you be competing in cross nation this season?

I’m truly not. I made a decision to pay attention extra on the roads as a result of the distances for under-20s are fairly quick in cross nation. I might moderately think about what 10km races are arising till the distances get a bit longer. Once I transfer as much as under-23 I’ll do them, however not a lot this yr.

I would do the Scottish Championships in February as a result of it’s some time away. I’ve some races deliberate round that point so it depends upon how nicely I can recuperate in between all of them.

What are your long-term targets?

It’ll be the ten,000m for the Commonwealth Video games. Every thing that I’m doing simply now’s getting me prepared for qualifying in 2026, which is actually thrilling and I can’t consider I’m saying that.

I’ll must get used to working 25 laps on the observe as a result of I a lot want highway over observe. Monitor feels so alien as a result of I didn’t begin off as a runner and I didn’t do the graded meets at 10 or 11 years previous. I by no means had that have but it’s one thing I’m simply going to must work on.

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