BBC One: Day 4: Marathon Commonwealth Games

Glasgow. Finally, it is raining. We are here at the start of the

marathon, with Paula Radcliffe. The athletics begins today. Later on, we

will have the 100m heats. But first, it is the marathon. And this weather

is almost perfect for marathon running? Definitely. It is not heavy

rain, it is just a steady drizzle, keeping conditions cool. Pretty much

ideal, not too much of a wind. Hopefully the crowd will get out

along the route to support, because it is a nice route, it shows off a

lot of Glasgow. A slight bit of humidity still in the air? Well, it

is raining, so...? But I do not think it is too bad. I think it is

good conditions for marathon running. The mens rea 's is off

first, and the defending champion, John Carr icon is certainly of the

contenders? For sure. And similarly, with the women's side,

they have got Kilel as well. And there are other Kenyans to watch out

for as well. In terms of the home nation prospects on the men's side?

I would think not too much chance of getting in the medals, although we

would like to see them running well, the likes of Steven Way, who

is getting ready -- who was getting ready for a 100 kilometre event in

April, and then decided to run the London Marathon. And he qualified

himself for his first Commonwealth Games. So he has gone from being an

overweight smoker to being on the start line, competing for England.

And in terms of the women, from a home nation prospect? Susan

Partridge of Scotland, Alyson Dixon of England, I think we have got an

outside chance of a medal. We are looking at the Kenyan probably not

to start, because she has been ill, which will leave some of the other

competitors to dominate. They are both 2.22 athletes. But I think

there is a chance for Susan Partridge, who showed that she could

perform well in Moscow last year. Home town as well. So lots of

support. You need to get to the commentary box, where Steve Cram and

Brendan Foster are standing by. I think they can take us through the

course. STEVE CRAM: This course is going to

show off the very Best of Glasgow this morning, despite the rain.

Heading through the city centre, along the River Clyde, and then into

the country park. And then back to us at the Glasgow green, and that

will be one complete lap. Two laps for the whole distance. As Paula has

been saying, pretty perfect weather conditions. Not necessarily the best

for the spectators. But there are many spectators already gathering at

Glasgow green. The men's raise will begin first, and 20 minutes later,

the women will get under way. There is Derek Hawkins, who will be

carrying the hopes of Scotland. Not a big field, and as Paula Radcliffe

was saying, Kenya very much with high hopes. Derek Hawkins - well, if

we go all the way back to 1930, the first ever Commonwealth marathon,

but was won by a Scot, Duncan Wright, in two hours, 43. I suspect

it will be a bit quicker than that today. But as ever, with

Championship races, it will not be superfast. But these conditions,

much better than most athletes would superfast. But these conditions,

have come here with a very strong team. Abraham Kiplimo perhaps with

the best chance. And the Kenyans will be looking for a clean sweep,

to be honest, but that remains to be seen. The defending champion in the

background, there he is, John Kerai. Derek Hawkins, his brother Callum,

also a good runner. Like many of the Scottish men in recent years, they

have done pretty well. We have got a good contingent on the track as

well. Derek Hawkins has been looking forward to this day for a long

time. Brendan and myself are just tucked away, I was going to say we

are in a tent, but we are in a nice little... We are tucked away out of

the rain, here in Glasgow green. It should be an intriguing race. Good

morning, Brendan. MARK FOSTER: Good morning for the

first event of the track and field programme, the men's marathon. And

as always, in recent times, the might of East Africa, they will be

the runners to contend with. Derek Hawkins of Scotland lining up at the

front. BRENDAN FOSTER: Three very good

Kenyan athletes, a couple of good Ugandans. And they are ready. On a

morning which is perfect conditions for distance running. As Steve said,

the weather has been glorious in Glasgow, the people of Glasgow have

responded to this event majestically yesterday, they were out in their

thousands. And hopefully today, you can already see a good gathering in

Glasgow Green. And you can see the crowds collecting. A pretty

pedestrian start. We are used to watching marathon is these days,

Steve, with tens of thousands of runners. Here, we have got 25 men,

some good talent amongst them. No pacemakers, this is a Championship

event. People have been talking about the quality of this event, but

it does not matter at the end of the day. The gold medal says,

Commonwealth Games winner. No, there are some genuinely top marathon

runners here. Maybe not the world is best, but certainly Erick Ndiema,

and the defending Kenyan champion, Chemlany. But what about this man,

Steve Way? I met him a couple of years ago at a running clinic, and

he told me his story, which has been well reported, about how, back in

2007-2008, he decided enough was enough. He was a smoker, he did not

have a particularly good diet. He said he was only heading one way. He

decided he needed to do something and took up running. And here he is,

a few years later, a few miles later. Joined by Ben Moreau. You

talk about the thousands taking part in the London Marathon and the rest

of it, and he is a great story, because he has come out of that

process, sitting at home, watching people on television. And here he is

representing his country. It is an inspirational story. At the end of

the day, the guy was searching with a packet of cigarettes and a packet

of crisps, watching the marathon. I just hope for his sake that he

enjoys today and takes in the experience. Paula Radcliffe has come

from the start line and joined us in the commentary box. While we are

talking about Steve Way, I met him through Liz yelling, a former

clubmate and fellow competitor in the marathon of yours, and I think

she helped him, and her husband, with some of his initial coaching.

But he is now running 100ks. He has got high hopes for that event in

November. So this will seem a bit short for him? It is! And I was

going to say it might seem a bit quick in the early stages, but he

has gone right to the front, and he is obviously enjoying it. The

Australians and the British athletes looking around, thinking, come on,

guys, where are you? The field is taking some time to settle. That is

a little bit of an incline which they are going up. Paula yesterday,

she said, I ran up that hill, and we said, really?! I think you are

getting older, Paula! I think the rest of the course is very, very

flat, so this is probably the most significant climb. There are a

couple of times, but other than that, this is it. It is more the

downhill, they are going to turn now and go down through the pedestrian

area of Buchanan street, and down there, I think it is more of a nice

drop away. Well, we are going to get a really good view of Glasgow city

centre. It has been thriving, it has been buzzing, it has been like being

on the Riviera or somewhere. It has been a real holiday atmosphere, the

last two nights in particular, down in the centre of Glasgow. Lots of

entertainment going on, music in the streets, lots of events attached to

the Commonwealth Games, as well as the sport. But this morning, the

streets are kept clear for the marathon. I am hoping, Brendan, that

we will see lots of people coming out to cheer these guys on. That's

right. I am glad we managed to get the Glasgow Riviera in there! But

this is proper Sunday morning runners' Glasgow. Often you see lots

of people running and training in Glasgow. At this point, Steve Way,

the inspirational man that he is, enjoying himself, relaxing,

listening to the crowd, as they come towards the Much In City of Glasgow.

And George Square, the real centre of Glasgow, the Glasgow City Council

Chambers. And Steve the first event on the track and field, and we have

got an English one-two. Three in the first four, it is brilliant! Not

sure it will last that much longer! But Ben Moreau is up there. The

Kenyans are beginning to gather, the three of them just saying, OK, this

is not very quick, we are going to get in amongst it. But Steve Way,

enjoying the moment. And that is absolutely true, Glasgow is a

fantastic city, it is a much changed city. It was one of the great cities

of the Commonwealth, in its history. This part of the city was built by

the tobacco. The marathon route in years gone by

has often started and finished in the stadium, but this is a new fad,

which is very popular, with running events, as we saw in London,

bringing it right into the city centre. I hope that when they head

out along the river and into the parks, that the support will be out

there as well. A little bit of early surging going on, Ipanema going to

the front, as Erick Ndiema recognises it is something to cover.

A little bit early to start racing, they have not even completed two

miles yet. This is Buchanan Street, all of the posh shops, where Brendan

and Paula go shopping. You have been shopping, I know you have, Paula. I

haven't! Oh, I did, sorry, I went and bought you a chocolate bar this

morning. I thought you were telling us how slippery and how dangerous

this bit was going to be this morning, Paula, as you have been

scrutinising this course, haven't you?! I tell you, it is a lot easier

than when I came through yesterday, when it was packed with people. I do

not think it will be too slippy. It is not cobblestones like we would

see in the London Marathon, where we have had the accidents. To be

honest, I think it is quite nice conditions for running out there

today. Starting to see a bit of blue sky as well. Hopefully that will see

more people come out to line the route. Erick Ndiema is the early

leader. We will talk more about the athletes. They are popping down onto

the riverfront in a minute or two, then we'll turn right along the

River Clyde. It is difficult, going round the other way. Coming down

towards the river now. A gentle drop down now. Once they hit the river,

it is pretty flat. There is a little rise later, in the country park. One

section where it is a little bit undulating. It is great to see so

many people out. The sun just starting to reflect off the wet

roads of Glasgow. The temperature starts to rise, but nothing like the

heat we have had for the first three or four days of these Commonwealth

Games, because that would have been more like the conditions we had in

Delhi. It would have been difficult. Right next to the railway station,

under the bridge. Eventually, they will cross the River Clyde. The

interesting thing for me, there has been a fantastic response to the

Commonwealth Games, they sold nearly a million tickets for the event, and

today, they are getting crowds out, responding to the Commonwealth Games

effect. It is wonderful to see. The sun is starting to shine through.

The athletes we talked about, the Tanzanians, Ugandans and Kenyans...

Haile Gebrselassie was talking about the Commonwealth Games, he said, how

can we get into wit? He made some enquiries about if adjoining the

Commonwealth. Mozambique joined the Commonwealth by filling in some

forms. Stop encouraging these countries! As they go along the

riverfront, it has been transformed, so famous for its ship holding

industry. If you of the cranes still left, one or two landmarks, but it

is a lovely part of Glasgow to walk and run along. A nice place to go

for a lovely walk. Given the weather we have had recently, it has been a

big -- pretty popular place to be. This is a thoroughfare, joining some

of the venues. We are heading out towards the SECC Halls. They are

crossing under the M8. The main thoroughfare through the city

centre. Going from east to West, crossing the Clyde. As Brendan said,

those of us who have been coming up to Glasgow for so many years, the

transformation, every time you come back, continues to develop. It is a

fantastic place to come. The thing that has shone through already this

week has been the great phrase about the people making Glasgow, it has

been very true. I was at an event last night, at the Pacific Quay,

this is where they are heading towards, BBC Scotland's

headquarters, we had the curlers. Their exploits at the Winter

Olympics. We were talking about putting cross-country in the Winter

Olympics, there were no hands of -- up from the curlers to join the

Commonwealth Games, though. When you run alongside the River, Glasgow

made the Clyde and the Clyde made Glasgow, and it is a significant

point. This is one of the great cities of the Commonwealth, the

shipbuilding industry on the River Clyde, and the trade with America.

Dieudonne Disi on the outside, from Rwanda, a very good runner, he could

be a danger. The Kenyans are in the position we thought they would be

in. The two fastest in the world, Stephen Chemlany and Erick Ndiema.

The others will follow, let them do what they want to do. If they do not

go too fast, they will have some company. The race is settling down

now. I wonder if those guys on the outside will be going further! They

might just be on their way home after a night out! Sunday morning,

after all! A good way to get rid of a hangover! Stephen Chemlany, I saw

a couple of the Kenyans at the start line, the management have been

talking up their chances. All of the athletes wearing

transponders on their shoes. We will be able to get a split time. They

refer to that as the squinty Bridge. It is a bit like the blinking eye in

Newcastle, not too dissimilar at all. I was walking across there the

other day, I knew that was not what they really called it. Right by the

squinty! Over the bridge. I hope they will still have some

good crowds to follow them, the support in the early stages has been

great. As they head away from the city centre... Look at the crowds,

it is great to see so many people out. Pete Ward free free events, the

marathon, the road race, the cycling, yet to come.

Derek Hawkins is already off that group, they have not been going that

quickly. Just waiting for some split times. Derek Hawkins with the three

English athlete. He would be hoping to finish ahead of the English

athlete. There might be a domestic battle going on. The first split

there. It is not super slow, but for a lot of the athletes, it will not

be too far away from their personal best. For the guys who go below two

hours ten, that is pretty easy going. Just having a luck as they go

through the drinks station, not too many athletes picking up their own

specific drink bottles. Most of them are just taking water bottles there.

They will get drink stations every five kilometres, they will have been

able to hand in their own drinks bottles if they wanted to, and have

them there on the course. Or they can take the water that is provided.

A little sharp turn heel. A long, straight section towards Ibrox, the

Rangers stadium. Then up towards the park. That is one of the sharpest

turns on the route. Paula, you talk about the latter stages, always

looking for bits where there are water stations, tight turns, hills,

people can make a break there. Yes, that is one of the advantages of a

course like this, a two lap course, you get the first lap to get a

chance to know the course and to feel out the terms and the inclines

and the areas where you might be able to make a break and to think

ahead and plan wake you might want to make those moves on the second

lap. It gives them a chance to learn a bit. The blue line is dotted

along, indicating the suppose it shortest route around the course.

That is why GCB runners gathered along that line. Here, they prefer

to run along the top of the road, where the camber is less, and it is

I bought even surface. A couple of areas we ran through just a day,

there were quite a few potholes, but most of it has been covered really

nicely. When you see the blue line go wider, that is just to indicate

where there might be a bit of unevenness in the road, so they will

go around it for the better surface. They have not quite reached

this section yet. It is a few miles ahead of us, but that is where they

will be going. And then the country park. We will be very soon at Ibrox,

which is hosting the rugby sevens. A great start for the rugby sevens

yesterday, 40,000 in Ibrox, the atmosphere was fantastic, looking

for more of that today. Stephen Chemlany, he seems most interested

in pushing the pace along. They set off at a tad under two hours 13

pace. A big enough group there. The likes of Stephen Chemlany, two hours

six minutes this year, it is pretty easy going for him. The group has

been whittled down fairly quickly. I was just looking to see if Abraham

Kiplimo was there. The Batu 395, Philip Kiplimo, and on the left,

Abraham Kiplimo. Abraham Kiplimo and Erick Ndiema

preferring the middle-of-the-road. Not much of a camber. One or two

roads later have more of a camber. We might see the athletes sticking

to the middle. A good crowd out as they head on the Paisley Road.

The English athletes, Steven Way, we have talked about his story, what a

great occasion for him. I was reading some comments, he has been

walking around the village, he cannot believe he is there, he says,

I am rubbing shoulders with guys from the Diamond League circuit, and

that is the great thing, and Usain Bolt headed down to the village last

night, I am told. Did he have his kilt on? I do not think so, but at

the press conference, they were trying to offer him a kilt, which he

politely turned down! It is great that he is here. We will be heading

to Hampden Park for the beginning of the athletics won the marathons are

complete. We have got the 100 metre heat today. And the men's 5000 metre

final later. Lots going on during the Commonwealth Games today. We

will be back with the marathon shortly, but for a minute or two,

back to the studio, for an update of what else is happening today.

While we stay with the marathon on BBC One, I will keep you abreast of

everything else going on. Plenty of action underway, which you can watch

elsewhere on the BBC. On BBC Three, Scotland are playing Australia in

the women's hockey. The home nation are losing 2-0. At Kelvingrove, the

lawn bowls has reached the semifinals. You can see these

matches live on the BBC website. We have got the men's pairs semifinal,

Scotland against England, for a medal. The Scottish world champions

against England. Whoever has the most points after 18 ends. It is

currently 5-2 to England after five ends. The women's singles at the

same time, the semifinals, Northern Ireland against New Zealand. Pretty

comp offensive at the moment, 12-3 to New Zealand after eight ends. The

winner in that one is the first to 21. In the badminton, the semifinals

in the mixed team event, Malaysia against Singapore. The match is in

the opening tie, the men's pairs, England play India in the other

semifinal this evening. You can see all of that elsewhere on the BBC,

but if it is the marathon that you like, stay here on BBC One.

STEVE CRAM: Just a little bit of rain on the camera lens in the

helicopter. You can just see Ibrox, if it pans out a bit. Just off to

the right. And they are just approaching the entrance to

Bellahouston Park. A sharp turn into Bellahouston Park. So, it is good

that they have slowed down at the front, and the pack which had

contained the domestic interest, they have all come back together.

Derek Hawkins of Scotland in that group, as well as the English

athletes. There is Ibrox. BRENDAN FOSTER: Ibrox is the scene

of one of the great races of all time, 1904, Alf shrub broke seven

world records in one race, when he ran for the Starc record. That was

written up in the history books as one of the greatest performances of

all time. I had someone who contacted me telling me that Alf

Shrub was great, but there was another one, even greater, who came

after him. And then more recently, Haile Gebrselassie also came to

Glasgow. So they were celebrating the fact that they have got a great

history of distance running, and Ibrox, believe it or not, was the

centre of that running revival. Great here in Bellahouston Park,

this was the scene of the world cross-country Championships in

1978. The women's race was won by a certain greater rights, who went on

to have a great marathon career. -- Greta Weitz. David Coleman was doing

the commentary. It was the worst commentary of his life! He had 150

guys running around, covered in mud! Those were the old days of

commentary, Steve. It is a bit easier now, Steve. And we have

transponders as well. The Palace Of Art, Which Was The Scene Of The

Great Exhibition Back In The 1930s. That Is The Only Building Which Is

Pretty Much Left From That. I Think John Tracy Won That Race, Did He?

Brendan is nodding. And it is nearly time for the women to get under way

back here at Glasgow Green. This time, I think there will be real

opportunities for some of the domestic athletes. Louise Damon

going for England, Susan Partridge, coached by Steve Jones, who is here

watching. She has prepared meticulously to run for her home

country here, in front of her home crowd. Also there, Ali Dixon from

Sunderland. Those are the three English representatives.

The Kenyans, we do not think Ongori is going to run. Hayley Haining also

going for Scotland. She has had a good career, and now getting the

chance to compete for Scotland. There is Aly Dixon, and I think she

will be looking at this field, yes, it is strong, but certainly Ongori

is not there. But it is not a big field, so, as ever with marathons,

you never know what is going to happen on the day. If it is your

day, there could be the outside chance of a medal. So, the women's

marathon gets under way. A small field, but I am sure they will get

great support, particularly if the likes of Aly Dixon can content. Who

knows, one of the Home Nations girls might well end up with a medal. I am

really excited to see Hayley Haining in there. I remember back in 1991,

in the World Junior Cross-country Championships, she was only seven.

The following year, she was in the team with you, Paula. -- she

finished seventh. I was in the team with her both times, I think. She

was competing with me also when we won the bronze medal at the World

Championships in Helsinki in 2005. She is a vet who works here in

Glasgow so she is in her home city, and she is looking forward to

getting out and running around the streets that she knows so well, I

should think. The chance to be out here, what is it, 23 years after her

first major Championships. It is amazing. You know she said she is a

vet, you know who she has in some of her lectures? Laura Muir. Laura is

also learning to be a vet. Lawro of course running in the 800m and the

1500m, also a medal hope for Scotland. So, she turns up for

lectures and they talk about winning! Apparently they do. Why

not?! The Australian athlete in the field today is also a vet. So, if

there are any sick animals today, there is plenty of help for them!

And we have also got a GP running,. I know you are envious, Paula.

Smuggling yes, I would love to be out there running. I loved having my

little jog around yesterday and taking in some of the atmosphere,

running through the beautiful parks. Just to take in the sights and feel

the support, because I think the whole city has got behind the

athletes. The people of Glasgow are proud to be putting on such a great

Games. The enthusiasm of the city has really today it looks as though

it will be even better. All the runners will get terrific support.

There we can see the three English athletes. Running with Derek

Hawkins, the Scottish athlete, who will be running through familiar

territory. As we look at the lead group, a couple of Australians in

that leading group. Ndiema and Chemlany well up to the front.

Just waiting for the 10k split to come through. The early pace has

been pretty slow. It has not really changed that much, although they

have just picked it up a little bit for the last mile,

have just picked it up a little bit Bellahouston Park. And towards

Pollok Country Park. A little section of road between the two

parks. Both Kiplimos are there. Abraham Kiplimo, on the inside, on

the curb, has just gone off the Group A little bit, but he quickly

realised that a break was being made and got back. The two Kiplimos, and

certainly I think Abraham will figure as a danger to the Kenyans.

Derek Hawkins, 12 seconds back from the lead group, in the second group,

with the English athletes as well. So, they are just taking a left

turn, coming into what is a very nice section of the course. They

have got about three kilometres through the Pollok Country Park,

which, in 2008, was named the best park in Europe. The three of us

drove through here, actually, Paula got out and ran for a little bit,

and we had to pick her up, she was a bit tired. You made me run up the

hill to tell me how steep it was! It is not that steep on the first lap,

but I think by the second lap, they will be feeling it a little bit. I

was just looking at the three Kenyans, they just took a little bit

of time to assess the field, I think. We saw Ndiema almost counting

how many people were there before he reported back to the other guys in

the group. When we saw Paula getting back into

the car, what was funny was the people going, oh, look, she used to

be good, her. Back to the women's race, nothing much happening, in

terms of any breaks. Just to pick out a couple of names, going under

the name of Daniel, the Kenyan. And her team-mate, Caroline Kilel. I

think they are the two favourites. But Susan Partridge and Aly Dixon,

sunglasses on top of her head, they must be really looking forward to

this. The Power of them have got themselves in great shape.

Obviously, Glasgow has been on their horizon. For a lot of the British

athletes, they had the choice between the Commonwealth marathon or

the European Championships, which take place in Zurich in a couple of

weeks. But I think for many of the marathon runners, there was only one

choice, which was to come here. PAULA RADCLIFFE: Absolutely, I think

everybody has pretty much chosen to come here and get the chance to run

in a home Commonwealth Games. I was lucky enough to take part in

Manchester 2002, and it was a very special experience which I will

never forget. Any athlete, whether from England, Scotland, Wales or

Northern Ireland, to be able to compete in Britain in a Commonwealth

Games, it is a very special experience just I think all of these

girls are very glad to be able to do that. Just on the Kenyan, on Goro,

failing to start, I am a bit surprised that they did not name a

replacement, even the depth of marathon running that they have got

in Kenya. I can just imagine that nobody was willing to focus on a

Championship marathon this year. I think it is really smart to organise

a two lap course. People can stay in the city centre, and watch the men

go through, and then the women go through, and then they can see the

men coming round again. Looking at the first two, partridge and Aly

Dixon work in a 10k race in Gateshead, and they were saying how

excited they were to have the opportunity to race in the

Commonwealth Games. She has got a chance to run on her home turf. She

says she will try and take a chance today, she really feels she has got

a chance to get onto the rostrum, and I think she has a good point. I

am sure the crowd will get more and more behind I'm as the race goes on,

as I think she is going to be competitive in this race. If one of

these British women, I'm or Aly Dixon, takes a chance, that is the

phrase I was using last night, if you want to win a medal, at some

point in this, you have got to take a bit of a risk, because it will

break up. If you want to get a medal, you might have to do

something you have not done before and take a bit of a risk, do

something to win the medal, not just hope it falls into your lap.

Absolutely. You will have to take a step outside of your comfort zone.

As the first lap progresses, we might not see much happening, but

going into the second lap, we will start to see people pushing on. That

is the stage where you really need to be brave enough to go with it and

cover that break and try and hang on. It is not a really, really tough

course. It is the type of course where you can put a little bit out

there at the beginning of the second lap and not have to pay for it too

much in the closing stages. There are no huge hills which are going to

break it up and really send your legs out the back door! So I think

these girls will be motivated by the fact that it is a Championship, it

is the Commonwealth Games, and the fact that they are up in the lead

group, rather than in the World Championships last year, for

example, where Susan Partridge would have already been back in the pack,

just running her own pace. Now, it is about racing, and risking a

little bit, with the experience and a knowledge of the course as well.

That is an advantage over the other athletes. She has spent the last

couple of weeks preparing, staying with her parents on the West Coast

of Scotland, enjoying the prospect. Those last two weeks can be the

worst. She has been back about three weeks now, the only thing that can

happen is you get hurt. Even getting to the start line, ready, prepared,

that is the first hurdle, then you go out and hopefully it is your day.

Central Station, just running underneath. And onto the River,

which we saw with the men not that long ago. Louise Damon looking

across. One or two have fallen off the back already. Aly Dixon and

Susan Partridge know each other well, Susan did not do so well at

the world half marathon, but they know each other very well. Is this

pans out, we may end up with a domestic battle for a medal. This is

completely different from the major marathons we have watched. In the

major marathons, you always have pacemakers, people know what time

they are aiming for, they are running four times, and only get

competitive in the late stages, but this is a race. They are spread

across the road, they are staying within the confines. This is a true

marathon race, there is a big title at stake, and it is worth having,

because if you look at the history, the great athletes in all of the

events who have won Commonwealth Games medals, if it is good enough

for those people, it is good enough for you, and that will be in their

mind. It does not tell you about the weather conditions or who was and

wasn't in the race or the fastest times or rankings, it tells you

about the rostrum. There are three places. There is another agility for

a British athlete to get on the rostrum. Aly Dixon looks very

relaxed. Susan Partridge looks the picture of concentration, not

looking over her shoulder, relaxing. Louise Damen doing the same. We know

the Kenyans are fast. If you look at the history of this event, seven

times they have run the Commonwealth Games marathon, five times they have

been won by Australians, once by a Canadian, and only in the last

Commonwealth Games, a Kenyans. Albeit, the Kenyans are becoming

stronger in the women's event. But this title is definitely worth

winning, and the medals are definitely worth collecting. We will

enjoy the later stages. We will have a lot to cheer for.

A little clip on the heels, that is what you do not want, Louise Damen

was clipped. Louise was checking to see who it

was. At that stage, you just want to make sure they do not do it again

and it was just an accident. Louise has been up with the UK team,

preparing for the championships. She left a couple of weeks ago, so she

has had a couple of weeks to a just and prepare. She is now coached in

America. Her coach has great experience, he will have passed a

lot of that on to her. A reasonably comfortable pace in the

early stages. Hayley Haining, it was about getting here and being part of

this occasion, rather than contesting some medals. That will be

left to Susan Partridge, from a Scottish perspective, to contest

this race at the front. I have not mentioned Amy Whitehead, in the

sunglasses, in the middle of the group. She is coached by the great

George Gandy. We bumped into him this morning.

So many of the distance coaches are great names from the past, here in

Glasgow to watch and reminisce and hopefully enjoy the current

competition. You can see the crane that is left

is a monument to the great ship holding heritage. It still looms

large over the quayside area. A left turn over the bridge. Not far from

the five kilometre point, we will get a split from that, hopefully. It

looks very comfortable at the moment, the pace. Kenyans flags

flying. They were hoping for a 1-2, 's a 1-2-3 at one point. But they

will have high hopes. Still the early stages, approaching

the five kilometre mark. The men are not too far away from the 15

kilometre mark. That pop back for an update.

It is great to see some good crowds out on the marathon, despite the

wettest day we have seen in Glasgow. We will get back to the marathon in

a second, but I will bring you up to date with other things that are

going on. On BBC Three, you can catch women's hockey. Scotland

against Australia. Clyde and his cheerleaders are doing their bit. It

is 3-0 to Australia at half-time. Press the red button, netball,

Jamaica, fancied for a medal, against Scotland. It is 16-7 to

Jamaica as they come to the end of the first quarter. Depending on your

digital provider, if you press red, then blue, there are even more

options. Let's go to Kelvingrove, in the lawn bowls, the semifinals. You

can see these matches on the BBC website. In the men's pairs

semifinal, Scotland against England. It is currently 10-4 to England

after nine ends. The women's singles comes to a climax today. They are in

the semifinal stage, northern Ireland against New Zealand. It is

17-8 to New Zealand. After 12 ends. If we go to the badminton, the

semifinals in the mixed team event, the top seeds Malaysia against

Singapore. That is the opening time of five. It is one set all of the

moment. The winner will play England or India in the other semifinal this

evening. The final is tomorrow afternoon. Let's go back to the

marathon. Just seeing the men diving off for

drinks, just beyond 15 kilometres. The three Kenyon 's still there, the

Ugandan athletes, the Tanzania and, and the tall Australian, with his

team-mate, Liam Adams. It was a war of attrition in Delhi in the

conditions there. He stuck to his task incredibly well as others

faltered along the way. He came through to take this all the medal.

So far, so good for him. I am sure the Australians will be enjoying

these conditions a bit more than they did four years ago. That group

is still pretty big. 46: 54. The pace is picking up a bit. It is

steady. A switch back as they came off the road.

Do you know your Scottish history? Lord Onley? Mary Queen of Scots was

her husband, wasn't she? I am trying to throw a bit of colour in their!

I am just turning Brendan's microphone on!

A bit of a camber on the road, but they do not seem too bothered about

it. You can see where the blue line is, M Shelley is right on it, in the

middle-of-the-road. The conditions are still pretty good for marathon

running. This group is pulling away from the chasing group. The pace is

lifting a bit. People looking around, looking at each other. Just

wondering and watching. Fabiano Naasi is pushing on a little bit.

That is Abraham Kiplimo, for the first time, near the front. The

Ugandan may fancy his chances here. This might be the first attempt to

break up the lead group. Just before they turned the corner, they went

past one of the misting stations, I am not sure they needed today, did

not look to welcome on some of their faces. It has spurred them on to

spread out, right across the road. There is not a breath of wind out

there, because nobody is seeking shelter. It is a long, straight

road, so they do not need to run the tangents at this point. The Kenyans

have been chatting to each other, as have the Tanzanians and the

Ugandans, they are running as a bit of a team, and are now picking up

the pace and asking some questions of the Kenyans athletes. The Kenyans

are now responding, and the Australian guys are struggling to

hang on. That was a sudden injection of pace, they did not know what line

they were going to take. Dieudonne Disi, from Rwanda, a good athlete,

the fastest over the half marathon in this field. 59.32. He is a good

runner. They are approaching the half marathon point soon. They will

be back in Glasgow Green, where the crowds will greet them again. The

race is getting ready to start to move. A lot of people here will run

fast times, this will not be so fast, but it will be a race. A group

of athletes from Tanzania, one athlete from Rwanda, a couple from

Uganda, and three, including the Moscow figure of John Kelai, the

reigning champion, who was selected by Kenya to run in Delhi, because he

had run some races in India and in Delhi, and they thought he would be

suited to those conditions, which he was. Recently, he has run in

Glasgow, in the half marathon, and he knows what it is like, running

round here. The Kenyans electors have an awful lot of athletes to

choose from, they have chosen John Kelai. They are picking up the

tempo. Starting to make a bit of a move. The athletes are coming under

pressure at the back of the group. Two Australians hanging in there,

Shelley in that group, but it will get tougher now. This young man,

Abraham Kiplimo, will not be frightened of the Kenyans. He won a

big marathon in Japan earlier in the year, he knocked four minutes off

his personal best. He has got good track pedigree, and when you come to

Championships, I like people with a good track pedigree as well. A real

surge on here from Abraham Kiplimo. John can I starting to cover it,

Fabiano Naasi moving in behind him. The others taking time to cover this

move. This is a real push, and early push, from Abraham Kiplimo. Nowhere

near halfway yet. Though they are heading towards the city centre. It

is a long road ahead of them. They can see all the way down to the

river. We cannot see it on this particular view, but it is slightly

downhill, and you can see them really stretching out. You can see

them looking around to see the impact they have had. On the

previous section, he just injected a little bit of pace, and then the

group closed up again, and now he has gone again. He is just doing a

couple of testing is to see who goes with him and who doesn't. And when

he does go for real, who will be able but certainly he is feeling

good, I think he is taking the chance also to feel out the areas

that he can inject a little bit of pace on, so that when he comes to do

it for real on the second lap, he will know exactly the effect it

might have. This is one of the athletes from Lesotho, Ramonene E. I

am surprised that Ndiema has not come with this. Because it is early

enough. OK, maybe they think it is a bit too much too soon, but you have

got to cover it when a group like this goes, particularly when the

defending champion is there. I am surprised that the two of them have

allowed that little gap. It is certainly 34 seconds already. But it

was really quick, you could see, they were really accelerating, and

they have settled down now. But that was a break, that was a move. You

look at the gaps that they have created behind them in a very short

space of time, as they head back towards the city. When they get

there, they will see big crowds to support them, which is fantastic. As

we see the Malawian and Namibian athletes. Maybe they have not

actually studied the course map. They are about to take a pretty

sharp right turn, and they were on the left-hand side of the road. It

was only really one of them who had realised that. They will know it

next time around, when it matters, though. So, they are approaching the

halfway point. And then we will come back into Glasgow Green to complete

the first lap of this Commonwealth Games marathon. So, we have got the

two Kiplimos of Uganda, with team-mate Mutai in there. Also the

Tanzania and in the group. And there is the domestic battle, further

back. Martin Dent of Australia with them as well. They are probably

about 30-40 seconds behind, maybe a bit more. John Kelai, the defending

champion, the only Kenyan at the moment. But the other two are not

too far behind. Ndiema and Chemlany realising the danger. Ndiema, who I

thought would run very well here, looks to me as though he is not able

to cover the moves. Whether it is a conscious decision or not. I don't

think it is. The Kenyans normally like to be where the action is. And

meanwhile the women are going through Bellahouston country Park.

And Susan Partridge is well to the fore, which is great to see. Louise

Damen and Amy Whitehead have fallen off this lead group, however.

PAULA RADCLIFFE: Yes, Lanni Marchant of Canada, sat in just behind. I

think she qualified for the Olympics in 2012 but was not selected because

the Canadians had set tougher qualifying standards. She tried to

appeal but was unsuccessful. Now, coming to the Championships for

Canada means a great deal to her. She will be looking to be one of

those athletes who has an outside chance of hanging in for a medal

here today. And we can see the athletes moving through the famous

Bellahouston Park. As Steve said earlier, the World Cross-country

Championships were held here. In more recent times, we had the visit

of the Pope in 2010, bringing hundreds of thousands of people to

Bellahouston Park. I am impressed with the way Susan Partridge is

running today. She seems to be absolutely on it, and in trading on

her running. Aly Dixon running well alongside her. These two athletes

know each other well, they have run each other -- against each other

quite a lot. Scotland have had a great Games so far. In recent times,

in athletics, Scotland has averaged about two medals in the last five

Commonwealth Games. This time, there are high hopes that Scotland could

figure largely, doing better than they have ever done before. They

have been aiming for this Championship for a long time, since

they were awarded the Games. The response of the athletes is almost

equivalent to the way the city has reacted. The athletes have been

planning and training hard and getting better. We have got some

great Scottish athletes coming through. Over the next few days, I

am sure we will see that Scottish flag being waved at Hampden Park.

Maybe set off by today. That would be interesting, if Susan Partridge

could do that. STEVE CRAM: So, the women, on their

way through Bellahouston Park. And in the men's race, it has just

settled down a little bit after those surges. Erick Ndiema, the

surprise is that he is not with this group. He was not a bone -- he was

not able to cover those surges. If you do not cover the moves, it is

maybe a sign that you are working a little harder than you might want

to. So, for him, it looks like it could be a tough day on the streets

of Glasgow. Philip Kiplimo, with brother Abraham at the front.

Abraham is looking very comfortable. He looks as though he wants to push

on. It is too early to do that. He has made his first move, asked his

first question. He keeps looking behind to see what response there

was. Do not be surprised if he has another little go. Big crowds here,

and often the athletes can respond to that as well.

PAULA RADCLIFFE: Yes, they are about to cross over the bridge and come

back into Glasgow Green. The crowd will get behind them and give them a

boost. But for me, Abraham Kiplimo is definitely dominating. He seems

to be communicating with the two other Ugandan athletes and giving

out some orders and controlling it, just testing out the others. It

looks as though Ndiema has managed to get himself back in the group.

But certainly the Ugandans are the ones controlling the race. Two weeks

ago, I spoke to Stephen Kiprotich, the Ugandan who won dealing begins

in London, and the World Championships in Moscow. I asked him

why he was not running the Commonwealth Games. He was running a

10k in Gateshead. He said he was not running because he wanted to give

his team-mates a chance to win a gold medal. I thought he was kidding

a little bit. But when you look at it today, his training partner,

Abraham Kiplimo, is up there, and his two team-mates as well. So,

Stephen Kiprotich was actually telling the truth, saying, watch the

Ugandans, because they are going to figure largely. And here they are,

the three of them, in the lead, alongside the Tanzanians, Naasi. And

Moses Kip Sera, who won the 5000 and the 10,000 in Delhi, is defending

his title. So today could be a really great day for the Ugandan

team. You can see the split for ten calamitous. The second 10k much

quicker, more than a minute quicker, than the first 10k. That is why it

has broken up. For a lot of these athletes, it has taken them into an

area... Oh, and that is what you have got to watch out for! Abraham

Kiplimo! It took a long time to get up on his feet again! It was almost

as though he was wanting to blame somebody. And how many times do we

see that, at water stations, people have maybe not practised enough, who

knows, but he is still looking behind him, and he has lost that

lead that he had worked for. He was the one who had pushed for that

lead. Let's have another look at it. Me the wrong side, he darts across,

trips up, probably over his own athlete, and slides into the table.

I just hope he has not hurt himself, but he will have done. But you have

got to say, Steve, that was his fault. He was on the wrong side and

he crossed in front of his own athlete. It is a shame. He is a very

good athlete, very good track runner. His marathon is only just

starting. But he should be able to close down the gap. He has still got

a chance to get amongst them. I just hope once he gets there, he settles

down and does not do anything silly. I hope he has not hurt

himself too much. But it shows the need when you are coming into a

marathon, not only to train properly, but also to look at things

like the course map, and to know on which side of the road the drinks

stations are coming up just he was not sure which way he was going to

go for the drinks station, left or right, and ended up having to cross

over. He then slid on the wet ground and angered his shin quite badly, it

looked like, on the table. You were saying earlier, Paula, it did not

look as though they had studied the course. Obviously they had not

because they did not know which with a way they were going to turn when

they came over the bridge. It is such a shame to see such fantastic

preparation in their training, but these last little bits, which do

make a difference, getting neglected.

STEVE CRAM: Well, it was his fault, but his team-mates have done him a

favour, because Philip Kiplimo slowed it down at the front, and his

other team-mate, Mutai, held onto his water bottle, and handed him his

drink. We have just seen him take that from him. So, he is back with

the group. I love that, they are sounding the bell! One lap to go,

lads! I love that, because the bell normally means 400m, doesn't it?! So

they should be throwing down a 53 seconds 400m! But it is a good point

which we were making about practising the drinks stations. I

remember back in Kenya in February, coming into the preparation for

London, we set up links stations on the track so that we could practice

drinking at speed, for Mo Farah, and the looks that we got from the

Kenyan athletes, who were very experienced, was kind of, why are

you doing this I know but it is important, to make sure the little

things as well as the big things are looked after. It is the small

margins which make the difference, in terms of medals. We have seen one

of the favourites, Abraham Kiplimo, the training partner of the

champion, and he is paying the price for making that little error. It was

his own error. You hope he can just settle in again in the pack now.

STEVE CRAM: Just a note for later, it was twisty Turney through the

park, the mean towards the finish. And I think it will be interesting

whether they were taking note of that as well. Given everything that

you have just said, if it does come down to a few people in the closing

stages, whether they will time their effort properly. That red arch you

can see is effectively the finish line. So these athletes have just

come through that line. And in the domestic battle, Steve Way is there

with Nick Torry, and Derek Hawkins of Scotland, with Mark Denten behind

them. Ben Moreau just behind Mark Denten of Australia. So, the halfway

point was reached in 65.17, which is not bad, actually. They have picked

it up after a slow first 10k. Given the fact that as I said, not many of

these men have ventured too often into the sub-2.10 territory. It will

be interesting to see if we get a sub-2.10 race.

fall for Kiplimo, whether he can get back to controlling these race and

giving the orders to his team-mates, or whether he will take time to

recover. The men's race continuing, the women are in the country park.

The home of the Maxwell estate for 700 years. This is a great feature

of the city, not far from the city centre. You saw the people camping

there. It is quite pricey for some of the hotels in Glasgow, a lot of

people camping, watching the Commonwealth Games. It is a popular

venue. A good crowd in the park as well, to cheer the women on. Not too

much happening with the lead group. It is the home of the famous

collection, recognised as one of the finest art collections in the

world, presented to the city of Glasgow. It has 8000 objects in it,

it is a must see, paintings by Degas and Cezanne, Chinese and Islamic

historic artefacts, a row of stained-glass windows. It is one of

the famous art collections of the world. Have you seen it? Yes.

Excellent. We will continue our cultural

commentary around the course. We will try to! I have got a great one

for you in a little while. You will love it, hopefully. It is not a

quiz, is it? I might throw a couple of questions in! Susan Partridge

looks really comfortable, you were talking about concentration, I like

the way she is setting out the early stages. Not like in the men's race,

where the Kenyans and Tanzanians and Ugandans were happy to push things

along, the Kenyans women, Caroline Kilel and Flomena Daniel, happy to

let Aly Dixon, Jess Trengrove and Susan Partridge to control things at

the front, as they wind their way through the country park, a very

scenic part of the route. This is the one hill which may figure on the

second lap. They are on the first lap. We will break away from another

-- for another update. We will get back in a second, but if

you are just June in game, while they are getting drizzly outside, I

am keeping up-to-date with everything else is happening

elsewhere in the Commonwealth Games. On BBC Three, Scotland's women's

hockey team not doing very well against Australia. The host nation

trailing 6-0. The latest coming from that penalty corner. Meanwhile, live

net all on the red button. Scotland against Jamaica. The score is

31-15. Depending on your digital provider, if you press red, then

blue, there are even more viewing options. We have got lawn bowls

underway, it is the semifinal stage in some of the events. You can see

these matches on the BBC website. This is the men's pairs semifinal,

Scotland's world champions trailing 11-8 against England. That is after

12 of the 18 ends. Earlier, Northern Ireland will play for bronze this

evening after losing the semifinal to New Zealand in the women's

singles. In Badminton, it is the semifinals in the mixed team event,

Malaysian taking on Singapore. It is the best-of-5 matches, Malaysian won

the opening men's pairs. That is you brought up to date. You cannot miss

a moment. If it is the marathon that you want, stay here on BBC1.

In the women's marathon, they are winding their way up the incline in

the middle of the park. Aly Dixon of Sunderland, wearing the red and

white of England, but I am sure Sunderland will be happy with the

colours, leading. It has taken you over an hour to get onto

Sunderland! I am coming from Newcastle, I am not saying a word,

things looking good for next season! A confident shout! It will

not be too long before the football season gets underway. Aly Dixon of

England leading the women's marathon. They went through the

second ten K roughly the same as the first ten K. Decent running for the

likes of Aly Dixon and Jess Trengrove and Lanny Marchand and

Susan Partridge. It is not so fast for the Kenyans women, but it is

good to see Aly Dixon pushing things along, keeping things steady. Look

at the crowds, fantastic to see so many people. What a brilliant

scene. I am sure the women are responding to that. It is really

nice, it is one of the advantages of being in a small field like this,

they can run through these narrow roads and have the crowds like that

on either side. It is a huge boost for Susan Partridge, because a lot

of the crowd will be Scotland, and Aly Dixon as well. She will be happy

with how the race has gone so far. Susan Partridge continued to control

the beginning, but now Aly Dixon has taken advantage of the undulations

to ask if you questions. She has not the other Australian athlete and

whittled the group down. She is keeping the pace moving along at a

fairly decent pace. She is used to being in races, she won the Brighton

Marathon, she could control it and run her pace, and now she is

experimenting with racing to try to win Tom or at least get a medal.

When they move out of the park, you can hear the message going around,

the Scottish girl in the leading group, and the crowds are growing.

Glasgow has been the winner, even from the Opening Ceremony, and the

first couple of days, with the weather and the Scottish

performances, and today Glasgow has turned out in force. The women's

marathon drawing rate attention through Susan Partridge, in the

leading group, a competitive race in the men's race, and congratulations,

Glasgow has responded so enthusiastically. It is fantastic.

The Commonwealth Games needed a boost at the belly, because it was

disappointing. These Commonwealth Games needed to be responded to in

the way that Glasgow has responded, so hats off. It has been brilliant

already. I am looking forward to the athletics joining the party, the

first medals of the athletics programme in the marathons. They are

coming towards the exit of the country park. They will cross the

road. They will head into the residential area, we came down there

yesterday, plenty of Scottish flag there. We have got to Kenyans, two

Namibians, one from Canada, one from Scotland, one from England and one

from Australia. Meanwhile, back with the men, it is as you were. That

group has come back together after the surges that were placed towards

the end of the first lap. Now, things have settled down. The fall

of Abraham Kiplimo has not made too much to -- too much difference to

him, hopefully. There is surely, he has rejoined the group. That gives

you an idea that they have slowed down. They are going along the

front, people gathering, a party of 300 people from the daily record,

gathered for their marathon party. They have turned out in all

numbers, families, people who work there, their friends. They have got

their flags and batons outside, celebrating the Commonwealth Games

marathon, which goes past the headquarters. A report from further

back, Steven Way, who was leading the domestic battle, 66.49 at

halfway. He was 30 seconds slower than that in London. He continues

his remarkable story. He took up running to lose a bit of weight, to

get himself healthier. I met him at a running clinic, we had a couple of

inspirational people there, and he was the more inspiring character. He

is going very well. That group or a long way ahead from the rest of the

field. The domestic battle is going on a minute behind the leaders. I

would not have expected the Lesotho athlete to be in that group. Good

athletes. Surely looking strong again. I am sure he is enjoying

rejoining the battle with John can I. They really moved apart, then the

field was down to three or four, but nobody decided they wanted to set

the pace. John Kelai of Kenya now settling at the front, looking

around, weighing up the opposition. He knows this city, he has run here

many times before. Abraham Kiplimo is back in that group now, he has

settled down, but the group has come together, the Australians are

running sensibly. Surely got the silver medal in Delhi. He ran so

strongly in the late stages, you know that in the last part of this

race he will be a power, and he is happy there.

Coming across the River Clyde. The redevelopment alongside the river

has been amazing. I am really enjoying the fact that Glasgow has

responded to this marathon in the same force as it has responded to

the Commonwealth Games themselves. I am looking at Abraham Kiplimo, I am

not sure he is 100% OK, he is on the back of the pack, but he does not

look as comfortable as he did earlier. He is no longer passing on

the orders to his other team-mates. Munyo Solomon Mutai is looking

around, but he is pretty much on his own. Abraham Kiplimo is going to

struggle to go with them. Things are starting to warm up

slightly, not so much in temperature, although the blue sky

is poking through, but a little effort being made at the front, it

is the Kenyans. Paula remarking that Abraham Kiplimo is limping a little

bit. That is not what you want. He banged his shin really badly. In the

women's race, the group of seven women now, with Aly Dixon of

England, Susan Partridge of Scotland, Jess Trengrove of

Australia, Lanny Marchand of Canada. The Kenyans are a class act. I rub

or watching Flomena Daniel, she moves to cover her team-mate -- I

remember watching Flomena Daniel. She lost the race after going the

wrong way. Knowing where the water stations are, what you are doing,

Caroline Kilel is saying, follow me, and for the first time, they are

trying to break up the lead group. You have got seven athletes

representing six different countries. There was a fall. That

was a slip on the cobbles, she ran off the edge of the

was a slip on the cobbles, she ran off the tarmac to where the stones

and cobbles are, Beata Naigambo of mini beer, she was probably going to

feature highly, but she will struggle to recover from that. This

is an interesting part of the race. We talked about taking a risk,

making the moves, and for Susan Partridge and Aly Dixon, that group

of four athletes, there are three women pulling away, and Helalia

Johannes is well capable, she was 12 at the Olympic Games, and she has

the experience -- she finished 12th at the Olympic Games. Susan

Partridge realising, I might be watching the medals go away, and if

I want to win a medal... It is early stages, and you have to make the

decision. PAULA RADCLIFFE: As we said earlier,

you might have to take a risk if you want to come away with a medal.

Susan is in two minds, whether to stay comfortable in that pack, which

would be robbery more on her pace time, or to go with the breakaway

group. I would not think there would be too much chance that Flomena

Cheyech or Kilel would be tiring and falling back. But there might be a

chance of the bronze medal. BRENDAN FOSTER: You could sense she

was aware of that. She came into the lead of that group of four, to try

to close that gap. You do not want to see three athletes running

strongly, running together, and running away. Susan Partridge knows

she has got a chance of a medal. Fourth place is the toughest place

to finish. It is still better than fifth or sixth or there we can see

the Namibian athlete, back up again. She has obviously banged her back,

and the back of her hamstrings, but hopefully she is OK to continue. But

certainly, the fall was a little bit taken advantage of, and then they

went through the drinks station and seized the initiative even more. And

these three athletes have now made that rake. It is up to the four

working together behind to try and close that gap. -- that break.

STEVE CRAM: So, three women clear, as they head through, and they will

take a left turn shortly, before the long sweep back down towards the

city centre, towards the River Clyde. And it is a hope now, a hope

that you can keep pushing on, keep working together. Aly Dixon may be

working hard to stay with this group at the moment. Susan Partridge just

keep the pressure on with this chasing group, in the hope that one

of these three has made a wrong move, or, for whatever reason, later

on starts to falter, and there might still be a medal opportunity. But at

the moment, these three are looking fairly comfortable, as they start on

this gentle downhill slope back towards the river. There is an Susan

Partridge pushing on, and Aly Dixon is struggling to stay with this now.

That's right. Susan Partridge is really trying to bridge that gap.

She looks down the road and she sees the two Kenyans, and Johannes, the

Namibian, and she knows that the three athletes ahead of her, because

she has been meticulous about studying the field, and of course,

when she looks at these three, they are the three

when she looks at these three, they runners in the field, running the

breast, running strongly, and just pulling away a bit too much. There

is a bit of safety in numbers here. Susan has got to be careful, she has

really got to decide to go and try and win a medal. You cannot expect

one of these three to slow down, you have got to expect that you will do

something about it. You can see the gap. Alyson Dixon has run a very

good race so far, but she is coming under pressure now. And they have

got the same view. Those three athletes are in fourth, fifth and

sixth. Johannes, she was the flag bearer for Namibia in the opening

ceremony. She is a very good marathon runner, two hours 26.

Faster than Susan has ever run before. Not a word between the two

Kenyans. Now, the race, as it approaches the halfway point,

beginning to get serious. That third 5k section, through to 15

kilometres, was run in 17.20. That is 2.28 days, and you can see why

that put paid to the chasing group. These three women are well capable

of that. In the men, the opposite happening - slowing down. This group

is comfortably running together. We will just be starting to see a few

nerves coming to the fore, that group is big enough that anyone in

it might start to fancy their chances at this point. The three

Kenyans have been fairly quiet more recently. Motsieloa, of Lesotho a

very happy to be in that group. Davies of Wales, four minutes 26

behind the leaders. Just hanging around at the moment, nothing

happening, nobody doing anything. Abraham Kiplimo will be pretty

happy. It will be really interesting when the first surge comes to see

whether that fall has affected him. He was looking so comfortable up to

that point. Since then he has looked rather more laboured. That is him at

the back of the group, and I just do not think he is moving as well as he

was. Water being offered. Again, cutting across, it was Mutai this

time. These athletes are not normally in this position. In the

major marathons, which have taken over the world of marathon running,

they are always running four times, always running with pacemakers, they

would never ever just settle down and try and run a race. This is

completely different, it is a race, it is a race for position. The time

does not matter, as I say that, the champion, just on the shoulder there

in third place, and the two Australians, are running a fine

race. And they are in a new position. Apart from the

Commonwealth Games, they do not normally get themselves in this

position in the major city marathons, or in the World

Championships. They are thinking about running a race, not thinking

about hanging on and running as fast as you can, thinking about being

competitive, who is here, who is there, who is going to be strong at

the finish. In a marathon, it is usually a test of pure endurance,

not tactics. But today it is a real test of tactics. The conditions are

favourable for running, it is quite enjoyable out there, it is going to

be a great race. I think that fall has knocked the impetus out of the

Ugandan attack. But it has also given the Australians huge

confidence. It has given them a chance to get back into the race.

The house of art at Bellahouston Park, Rennie Mackintosh, associated

with the House Of Art. A newly tarmac path taking them around the

edge. We are just going to take a little break. To find out what else

has been happening around the Commonwealth Games this morning.

Thank you very much. We have had plenty of action this morning.

Scotland have had some very good results, but not so good at the

hockey this morning. Scotland have just been, well, hammered, would be

the right way of saying it, 9-0, against Australia. But there is

plenty else going on in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games right now. On BBC

Three, you can watch this morning's swimming heats, with England's

Lizzie Simmonds in the 200m backstroke heats. This is the event

at which she won silver in Delhi four years ago. Our team can bring

you coverage of that right now on BBC Three. If netball is your thing,

then, over on the red button, Scotland are in action, up against

medal prospects Jamaica. And we have got lawn bowls as well. That has

reached the semifinal stage in some of the events. You can see these

matches live right now over on the BBC website. In the men's pairs

semifinals, Paul Foster and Alex Marshall are trailing against

England's pair. An earlier result in the women's singles, Northern

Ireland's Catherine McMillen will play for bronze this evening after

she lost her semifinal to her New Zealand opponent. And there is

badminton as well, with Malaysia taking on neighbours Singapore. And

there is plenty more over on the website. Weightlifting and table

tennis are also there. But for now, we go back to the marathon.

STEVE CRAM: And really, you get the feeling that things are about to

break up. The 30 kilometre mark is about to be approached, here at

Bellahouston Park. The African contingent is right to the fore. We

were talking about that world Cross country championship, and they were

asking me, was ie in the junior team? Side wheat ran in that race,

he was 34th, in the junior race. He of course went on to great exploits

on the track. If you look through the history of those events, you can

see lots of great runners who eventually established themselves on

the track, who came through the junior part of the cross-country,

including the young lady sitting over the other end. She will be

pleased I called her young lady. I am even more pleased you put me in

the same sentence as a 1500m runner! Well, there is a little bit of track

pedigree in this field as well. You can see the wind picking up, it is

the first time we have really had this level of wind here in Glasgow.

It really has been balmy weather, and I mean that in the sense of both

spellings! People earlier in the week were saying how hot it was, not

really expecting that. This, though, good marathon running conditions.

They went through 30 kilometres in just over 1.34. There is the sense

that they slowed down again. That was almost 33 for that 10k section.

Yes, the last 5k was 16 minutes, so they have certainly regrouped. I

have been watching Mutai. Every so often he drops back to check on

Abraham Kiplimo. You could see something sticking out of that

table, which one of the athletes tripped over. It is a bit of a

dangerous zone, coming into a drinks station. You cannot predict what the

other athletes are going to do. And even coming out of it, in terms of

where you throw your bottle. You need to make sure you do not throw

it under someone else's feet. It is best to hang onto it for a bit until

you have some clear ground. We did see a little bit of a surge from

Kelai. Maybe just trying to get a bit of a feel for how the Ugandan

team is regrouping after the fall suffered by Kiplimo. So, those two

labs on the first lap are still there, running alongside! I wonder

how long they can keep up! The pace has slowed, as Paula was saying.

Abraham Kiplimo for me is really struggling to stay with this, even

though they have not really pushed on yet. I suspect that when they do

move away, he might be the first one to struggle. Two Australians are

doing really well to be with this at the moment, Michael Shelley and Liam

Adams. Adams was second in the Sydney half marathon earlier in the

year. Shelley, on the inside, the silver medallist from last time. But

the first time, an Australian move to the front. In the women's, the

three who have pulled away, they are continuing to do so, the two

Kenyans, and Johannes of Namibia. Flomena Cheyech Daniel, Caroline

Kilel and Johannes, all three of them, you have to say, looking well

in control. Nothing being thrown back to this group to give them any

sense of confidence that they might be able to chase anyone down from

that lead group. But there is still a long way to go. Lanni Marchant

keeping the pace pushing along, but it is more to keep them ahead of the

athletes behind. We could see Louise Damen moving her way through,

working her way back towards Aly Dixon and into the second group of

athletes, but these three are really comfortable. A reasonably decent

pace. 16.43 for the previous five kilometres, that is fast, almost

going into your territory. That is why they have moved away so well and

continue to do so. A difficult time for Susan Partridge, as they

approach the halfway point, she has seen the top three move away, they

are going strongly, and the only hope would be that one of these is

overcooking it, but no sign of that at the moment. If Susan is going to

have any chance, if any of these three faults, she has got to stay in

contention with the Canadian. The water bottles handed out safely.

They are approaching the halfway point. Looking at the split, that

what the faster five K in the men's race as well. When the wind is

blowing, that stretch that they have just come down as the wind at their

backs, so that is a bit of a factor, and the downhill stretch

before they went over the Clyde. That may have helped to pick up the

pace. We might see a slower next five kilometres. This bit is

somewhat hilly. While we are watching the women, and update about

the men, the domestic competition. In 12th place, Derek Hawkins was

92nd -- 90 seconds behind the lead. He is leading the domestic

challenge. Steven Way is 20 seconds behind him, with Nicolas Corrie and

Ben Moreau. Andrew Davies of Wales is a further four minutes behind.

Lanni Marchant pushing on, Susan Partridge and Jess Trengrove running

together. Susan Partridge is working hard to try to stay with even the

Australian. You can see Aly Dixon of England further back. Fourth, fifth

and sixth in the picture here. Louise Damen has passed Aly Dixon.

Really struggling at the moment. Susan Partridge representing

Scotland here on Glasgow Green. Making the turn that will bring them

through the finish line. They have one more lap to go as they do that.

This will be their final turn. I will look forward to this when they

ring the bell. 13.1 miles to go! These athletes looking down the

road, and the crowds are growing all the time. They will get some sense

of the distance, the chasing group of 37 seconds behind. All of them

individually have won marathons. Including the Dublin Marathon, the

Boston Marathon, the Paris Marathon. There goes the bell, 13.1 miles to

go for the leading free athletes, the two Kenyans and Helalia Johannes

of Namibia. None of them are going to make a break yet, they are going

to settle together. It will be a long second half of the race for

Susan Partridge. She is back in sixth place. She looked to be in a

bit of trouble as they approached the entrance to the park. As they

move out of the park and into the Merchant City section of Glasgow,

there is the bell for the second group, including Susan Partridge.

Lanni Marchant 39 seconds behind. Susan Partridge in sixth place. It

is going to be tough for her, but she is a determined athlete, she has

prepared excellently. She did have a go to bridge the gap, but she could

not do that. Behind her, an interesting race between Louise

Damen and Aly Dixon. Louise Damen has waited and moved through. These

orders will change between now and the finish. I am watching to see how

big the gap is between Susan Partridge and Louise Damen. Louise

Damen has run a much steadier first lap, she is picking off the athletes

as they have fallen off the group in front of her, and she seems to be

getting stronger. We still have a 32nd gap between them, but that is

closing with every stride. Aly Dixon is paying the price and going

backwards. A tough day for Aly Dixon. Louise Damen has moved past

her. These three seem to have it between them as they head out onto

the second lap. Helalia Johannes, 12th place in the Olympics. Amy

Whitehead has her sights on Aly Dixon in front of her.

Lots of personal pride and good positions, people chasing for, but

these crowds have been phenomenal, really encouraging the athletes. It

is great to see so many people out. A great atmosphere as well, plenty

of noise. It is very windy now, the flags are really... It is not a

flutter any more, the wind has really picked up. It has been a

difficult a day as we have had in Glasgow, but to be honest, most of

daytime they seem protected from the window. It will be interesting to

hear the thoughts of the athletes afterwards. It is a pretty flat

course, one or two inclines. Some afterwards. It is a pretty flat

nice, long stretches, but they are not being buffeted around too much.

Not much to choose between the women at the moment, no signs being given

away as to who is going well or not. In the men's race, they are entering

the business area. They are coming through the country park. Things are

breaking up a bit, Abraham Kiplimo towards the back of the group, the

defending champion, looking strong. The Australian silver medallist

alongside the other Kenyans. It is Munyo Solomon Mutai at the front,

with Fabiano Naasi from Tanzania. A bit of chatting to each other and

gathering intelligence as to who is still in the group. Dieudonne Disi

is struggling and dropping off the back of that group. Liam Adams is

also struggling to go with the injection of pace on as questions

are as. They get the advantage of the close crowd, and some shelter

from the wind, which is definitely picking up.

Big crowds in the park. You can see the effect that the conditions and

the pace are having. Fabiano Naasi, the former world half marathon

champion, he came to the fore ten years ago, he started running very

well. In the last couple of years, he has not shown this sort of form.

This is not a fast city centre marathon, but nonetheless, there are

good athletes in here. Erick Ndiema is struggling a bit, Stephen

Chemlany is working hard, Abraham Kiplimo is doing his best to hang

on, Munyo Solomon Mutai, he would not have said that he would be a

gold-medal contender, but look at Shelley, the Australian, it is good

to see him in this group. He is running a great race. If you

remember Delhi, he went so strongly at this point of the race. He came

right through, he finished second. He now has the Tanzania and, the

Ugandan and two Kenyans in front of him, and he is hanging on the back

of that. Once again, the pace picking up, the athletes beginning

to race each other, this is all about tactics, who makes a move, how

they make a move. Even though they have run against each other before,

when it comes to a marathon, the fast finish and the tactics rarely

come into it. Today, you would look at the four of them, who is fast? We

would not know how quick Shelley is, or how quick the others can be.

We do know that Stephen Chemlany can be fast. The other two, Abraham

Kiplimo... He is moving back. He is in sixth place now. We had thought

he had been struggling, after the fall. But he is moving back towards

the group, looking over his shoulder for the first time. He looks a bit

smoother now. He has maybe recovered a bit. One person glad to see him

back is Munyo Solomon Mutai. I think this is Munyo Solomon Mutai's

marathon debut. He may have been selected from his half marathon

time. He is looking to Abraham Kiplimo for advice and direction,

and he was struggling a bit while he was sitting at the back. But he

seems to have recovered, and found a second wind, and taken back control

of the race. This is often where the race starts to get moving. Once

again, Abraham Kiplimo pushes to the front, the first time since his fall

that he has been a different of the field. Fabiano Naasi I just looking

a bit weary. He had looked witty comfortable until this point. John

Kelai, the defending champion, he will do his best to defend the

title. A real push now. This big Avenue, big houses down here, and

all of a sudden, a big surge at the front of the field. Stephen

Chemlany, the Kenyans, he came to the fore when he was pacemaking in

Berlin three years ago, for the world record, he kept going and

ended up performing a personal best in the race, when all he was

supposed to do was dropout around this point. Today, he is going for

Kenyans glory, carrying the flag for Kenyans. The defending champion is

not covering this move. It is the Ugandans, Munyo Solomon Mutai, in

his first marathon, 21 years of age, he did really well in Nairobi last

year, in the half marathon, if you win that race, you have talent and

ability. His race this year was not too good, did not perform to well in

China, but he is doing well today. They are pulling away. The silver

medallist from Delhi, Shelley, doing his best to close it down and hope

that one of these three is pushing onto soon. The three of them opening

a gap. Shelley running well, I head of John Kelai, who looks under

pressure, as the Ugandans and Stephen Chemlany... Munyo Solomon

Mutai and Abraham Kiplimo. Abraham Kiplimo is the class runner, he

fell, he was under pressure, it looked as though he was limping, but

now he has got five miles extra behind him since he ran over, more

than that, and he looks as though he is running fairly smoothly. Shelley

is running a great race in fourth place, they are getting competitive.

Stephen Chemlany could not get away. Abraham Kiplimo, the training

partner of the Olympic and world champion, who told me, I am missing

this marathon, I am letting the boys have a go, because I want another

Ugandan to win a gold medal. No Ugandan has won a gold medal in this

event. They have one on the track. So, we have got to Ugandans with a

chance, we have got an Australian in with a chance, and he is getting

stronger. We have got Chemlany in with a chance.

with a chance, and he is getting stronger. We have got Chemlany This

looks to be the four athletes who will be fighting out for the podium

place. Experience tells. 400m before that feeding station, Shirley was

already on the right that feeding station, Shirley was

road. He has got his gel that he has taken on board, and the other three

were still on the wrong side of the road. Paula is shaking her head,

cannot believe it. Kiplimo looking behind, which is always a sign that

you have given up the ghost a little bit. Look at this, Shirley of

Australia, right there with Chemlany and the debutant Mutai. Looks to his

side and says, goodness me, where did you come from? Bocelli is just

running his own race. Doesn't he look strong? Silver medallist from

last time. Just taken the these huge crowds. Again, Mutai not quite sure

where they are going, running all over the place, running in these

three opening up a little bit of a gap. Surely, for me, forcing the

issue. PAULA RADCLIFFE: Yes, Shelley

showing that he has come into this race really well prepared, making

sure that he has studied every aspect, and also just thinking about

things when you are running along, just looking ahead. They were on a

long straight road, and they could see that the drinks station was

coming up. They had already been posted on the first lap. He was only

taking the quickest route to make sure that he had plenty of time to

pick out exactly the Australian table for the bottles. And he had

his gel taped to the side of that bottle, which you're allowed to do.

And he has just taken his time, making sure that he has got that

taken in, to give him that extra energy burst as they come into the

closing stages of this race. STEVE CRAM: This is Chemlany. He was

based in America for a long time. He went to university there, in New

York with then he decided he got better, and like a lot of Kenyans

who get scholarships, he realised, if I really want to do well in this,

I have got to move back to Kenya. He moved back to Kenya with his family

in 2009, and since then he has become a full-time athlete. Here he

has a chance, who knows, of winning his first big title. The three of

them pulling away. A lot of work to do. These three may well have the

medals between them. Chemlany, the fastest marathon runner in this

field. From Uganda, the debutant, the least favoured of the three. As

we look down on a man who may have been one of the favourites, Kiplimo.

And surely, who ran a fantastic race in Delhi for silver, can he go one

better than that? So, we have got a competitive race upfront. At least

Kiplimo is moving more smoothly. As we say that, Jack Ireland is making

a bid to try and win this. -- Chemlany is making a bid to try and

win this. It is now about the tactics and the approach. It is

about who can stay competitive. Shelley is extremely competitive.

Look at that, a response by Michael Shelley, the silver medallist from

Delhi. The great tradition of Australia in the Commonwealth Games.

Two previous winners from Australia. Shelley looking as strong if not

stronger than anyone else. Here he comes. And suddenly Chemlany will

have a bit of shock, because he thought he had got rid of the

Australian. It is great for us to see athletes from Australia doing

well against the might of Africa, and this is a wonderful performance

by Mike Shelley. Can he go one better than his silver last time? I

really like the way he is running. He is running smartly, and

committed. They are into the fastest 5k of the race. They are putting in

a lot of surges. Mike Shelley, maintaining his pace, running in a

much more efficient way, to close the gap. You can see the focus on

the determination. People were watching him earlier, taking a bit

of time with the gel, can you explain that, what is he eating? He

is trying to take the top of a foil packet of carbohydrate gel. It will

give him a bit more energy than they might be able to put into the

drinks. Some people like to take them on for a carbohydrate boost,

some people just do not like the consistency, and would rather take

it in a drink. At the human body can probably get to 22, 23 miles without

taking on any extra fuel. When they hit this point, they need to be

putting more energy in their bodies. But he takes it that late in the

race, does it have time to get into his system to help him for the

latter stages? Yes, I think so. In a marathon, I would have my 40k drink

bottle, but I would have the gel as well, which is exactly what he did.

It just puts a little bit of extra energy into your system. So, the

message is, that gel - I mean, a few years ago, the Great North Run gave

that gel out at about 20 kilometres, and a lot of athletes

were rubbing it on their legs! That will catch a few flies on your legs

and make it very sticky! But it will probably not get into your system

very quickly through that method of administration! Certainly taking it

on board here has given Mike Shelley a massive boost. He has been able to

maintain the little surge which Chemlany put in. He is making a long

but confident run for home. What a marvellous sight, Mike Shelley of

Australia running confidently. Doing what the coaches will tell you, when

you have caught somebody, keep the pressure on. That is when people are

more vulnerable. He had made his move, he had not been able to break

Shelley. Behind, there is a battle going on for third spot. There could

be ten minutes or more of running here for Mike Shelley of Australia.

Those great names which Brendan mentioned from the past, Australian

winners. It is an attritional event, given the heat and the

humidity from Delhi, four years ago. Three different conditions here in

Glasgow. Although he has pushed on, he needs to be careful that he has

timed his effort right. That lead of 10-15 metres, it is amazing how many

times we see people miss time their effort. But this is his first

marathon of the year, this is what his season has been all about. Now,

crossing the River Clyde. He knows that at the moment, it is about him.

Soon he will be able to sense the finish. That lead is starting to

grow, if anything, Chemlany not being able to do anything about it.

Great encouragement for the Australian. I bet there are a few

Aussies in the crowd. Well, if they cannot have a Scotsman, they will be

very happy with an Australian. The cadence of Michael Shelley, you can

see. He has been coached by the same person who coached. Rob de Castella

His preparation has been excellent. And here he is now, with a real

chance of adding to the medals in the marathon. Twice Rob de Castella

has won it, Steve Moneghetti want it. And now, Michael Shelley, after

being second in Delhi, can he continue, can he win this one! He

has not won yet. He has still got a bit of running to do. He has got a

lot of driving to do. And that Usher is not insurmountable. It isn't, but

just to reiterate it, just look at where he is just about to take

another turn over the river. And he is right on the blue line, running

the shortest line. I am trying to work out why the other athletes have

moved on to the other side of the road. Whether they think they are

going to be turning back up the hill again I am not sure. Maybe they are

trying to get a little bit of shelter, it might be windy out

there. But certainly, Mike Shelley at this point is the only one

running the shortest line, running along the blue line. It makes sense

to do that, when he is trying to increase his lead. Another

right-hand turn for Mike Shelley, and then it will be a sharp left

once he has crossed the river. He knows that this bridge is at the

west side of the park, and he will re-enter the park on the Eastern

side, and Glasgow Green awaits him. Almost a lap of Glasgow Green is all

that really lies between him and the Commonwealth title. Can he hold it

together in this last kilometre or so? Chemlany, to me, is not doing

anything to give Shelley anything to worry about. But what I like, he has

not had one glance back, he has not given one single thought to what is

going on behind him. 14.46 for the last five kilometres. It is a fast,

downhill section, slightly, actor the River Clyde, but that is the

quickest 5k of the day. And that is why Mike Shelley is in the lead. Two

kilometres to go for Michael Shelley, as he turns that corner,

following the blue line, as Paula suggested. That is what marathon

runners are supposed to do. The clever ones follow it as tightly as

they can. The clever ones follow it as tightly as they can just Michael

Shelley of Australia, the silver medallist from Delhi, coached by a

man who knows about marathon running, who coached the great Rob

de Castella, who was world champion and Commonwealth champion. And this

man has done everything right. He has stayed in contention. He did not

get too involved in the changes of pace. He let the Africans compete.

As we look down the field, we can see Chemlany, and we can see Kiplimo

and Mutai running it out for third and fourth place. If this man keeps

applying himself, you can see he is tiring a little, his legs are not

striding as powerfully as they were before. That is not surprising. He

has run really fast 5,000m split, which takes it out of you. He is so

concentrated, I am really impressed with the way he has got his eyes

firmly fixed ahead. He is hurting clearly just error me representing

the famous green and gold of Australia. Error me getting good

support from this crowd, as he heads towards Glasgow Green. The last

split, the fastest of the race, so he is bound to be struggling. He has

really made his bid to win this race. He had an 11 second cushion

going into the last two kilometres, which is not insurmountable, but if

he can keep his focus, he will now be looking out for the one kilometre

to go sign. Don't look behind, don't give Chemlany any sniff of a hint

that you are hurting. Because he is hurting as well. He has been

checking his watch and counting it off. Now, it comes down to who is

the strongest, and who has studied this race as well as possible for

the closing stages? Who wants it the most as well. For me, at the moment,

that is Mike Shelley. Mike Shelley has circumvented the Gorbals area,

always known for being a tough, gritty part of Glasgow, and it has

been a tough, gritty performance from Mike Shelley of Australia. The

way he is running, putting these last few kilometres together, he is

not going to be far off his personal best, either. Really bringing the

time down to somewhere around 2.10, 2.11, depending on how he finishes

these last few hundred metres. And there you can see the expense of

Glasgow Green. It has been used for all sorts of events over the years,

including Michael Jackson, who played a concert here a few years

back. And well, we are sitting here singing the praises of this young

man. I say that, 30 years of age. This is a testimony to preparation

and planning and really setting your targets at the beginning of the