This Sunday will see 10 athletes represent Great Britain at the IAU 50km World Championships in Brasov, Romania, including Olympian Aly Dixon (club: Sunderland Stroller) who makes a step up in distance.

It will be the first edition of the event since 2016, when Great Britain & Northern Ireland won women’s team gold and men’s team silver on that occasion.

Hannah Oldroyd (Ribble Valley Harriers) was part of the gold medal team three years ago and hopes to relive her success this Sunday. This year has seen Oldroyd running faster than ever, with personal bests in the marathon, half marathon, and 10 miles, as well as 50km, which she clocked in 3:28.07 in March – eight minutes ahead of her 2016 time.

Oldroyd will be joined by Dixon who has competed in the marathon at Olympic, World and European level and will be racing the 50km for the first time as her longest ever distance.

The women’s team also includes Julie Briscoe (Wakefield), Helen Davies (Ipswich Jaffa) and Danielle Nimmock (Pauline Ash; City of Norwich) who all have sub-2:40 personal bests across the marathon, putting them in good stead to take on the 50km challenge as a team.

The men also feature some outstanding athletes, including Lee Grantham (East Cheshire) and Paul Martelletti (Nick Anderson; Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets) who have both ran in the Great British squad previously.

Grantham scaled 100km back in 2017 where he took the win in Partington on 6:42.42. That year also saw him run a personal best over 50km in 3:08.25.

Martelletti has the most impressive lifetime best, clocking 2:50.11 over the distance in 2012. This year has seen him run just outside his marathon personal best with 2:17.29, and so could possibly put him in with a chance of running another record.

Also joining them will be Alex Milne (Enfield & Haringey), Dan Nash (Cardiff) and Kevin Rojas (Allison Benton, Brighton & Hove). Rojas ran his first 100km this year in Australia and finished 4^th in 7:02.58. Milne and Nash are seen to favour the marathon, with both running personal bests this year in the Brighton Marathon and have hopes to medal as a team in Romania.

Men:

Lee Grantham (East Cheshire)

Paul Martelletti (Nick Anderson, Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets)

Alex Milne (Enfield & Haringey)

Dan Nash (Cardiff)

Kevin Rojas (Allison Benton, Brighton & Hove)

Women:

Julie Briscoe (Wakefield)

Helen Davies (Ipswich Jaffa)

Aly Dixon (Sunderland Strollers)

Danielle Nimmock (Pauline Ash, City of Norwich)

Hannah Oldroyd (Ribble Valley Harriers)