Jo paces herself for 2012 target

By Simon Hayes on October 2, 2008 11:08 AM |

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THE Run to the Beat half-marathon will see thousands of runners take to the streets of Greenwich on Sunday – but do not be surprised to see one competitor walking.

Jo Jackson, Britain’s top female race walker, is taking part in the race.

But she will not be breaking her stride to try to outrun her fellow athletes.

She said: “There’s absolutely no temptation to run. Once you get your technique right it’s hard to break the rhythm so you don’t want to run."

“It’s not uncomfortable at all, even though a lot of people say it looks like it is", she added. "The technique comes naturally after a while.
“But I don’t know how high up the field I’ll finish. I’ll be happy just to get round in about one hour 45 minutes.�?

The 23-year-old from Redcar finished 22nd in the 20km walk at the Beijing Olympics, setting a British record time in the process. But she admits she has let her training slip since coming back.

She said: “I’ve been on a bit of a wind-down since Beijing but my sponsors, Gatorade, asked me to do this and I thought it would be fun. And if it rains, so much the better – I’m used to the rain where I train.�?
Race walking is often overlooked compared to other track and field events but Jo hopes her progress will give the sport a higher profile.

She said: “The best walkers in the world come from Russia and eastern Europe but the event is definitely getting more popular in Britain.
“There’s a good crop of young walkers coming through and the standards are improving all the time.
“And I hope to be challenging for medals in 2012 if I continue to progress as I have been.�?

Before her Sunday morning walk in Greenwich Jo has one more important date in London. She will be joining the rest of Team GB to meet the Prime Minister at a special reception tomorrow evening.

Jo said: “It’s been a great year. But with the European Cup and the World Championships to look forward to, next year could be even better.�?