.The Mass FieldOf course the race is more than just about the world's elite and runners chasing Olympic spots however runners throughout the field were helped to personal bests and key target times by some solid leadership from the Runner's World pacers

to also gain the qualifying time.Of the celebrities, model Nell McAndrew impressed with a 3:10:51, which qualifies her for the elite women’s race next year. Pick of the Veteran performances was Sue Cariss, whose 3:08:00 was a British W55 record

the experience of the ordinary runner (of course, the two can be related: elite fields draw the TV coverage, which draws crowds, competitors and money to the race). Among other things, we scored the races for beauty, atmosphere and speed. And, hand on heart, we