Keswick marathon runner Jess Trengove steps up preparations for World Athletics Championships

IT MIGHT sound strange, but marathon star Jess Trengove has been pounding Adelaide's pavements wearing extra layers of clothingin preparation for a trip to Russia.

IT MIGHT sound strange to some, but marathon star Jess Trengove has been pounding Adelaide's pavements wearing extra layers of clothingover the past month in preparation for a trip to Russia.

Trengove will represent Australia at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow in August and expects Russia to defy its reputation for cold conditions.

"The race is at 2pm, so it's the hottest part of the day over there and obviously with it being summer over there I'm preparing for hot conditions," Trengove says.

"It's a bit tough to do that over here in Adelaide when it has been cold, but I've been running with extra tracksuits on to get myself feeling hot while I'm running."

Trengove will depart for the UK this week, where she will spend 10 days training in expected warmer conditions before she heads to Russia for the August 10 race.

Moscow will represent a chance for Trengove to establish herself as a world-class marathon runner.

After a whirlwind 2012, which saw her qualify for the Olympics in her debut marathon before finishing a creditable 39th in London, Trengove believes she has matured as a competitor.

The 25-year-old has spent the past year concentrating on improving her firepower by racing over shorter distances.

She has not run a marathon since London, but has set personal bests at 1500m, 5000m and most recently the half marathon where she ran a slick 1hr:11:51 on the Gold Coast in June.

She will go to Moscow feeling like she belongs and aiming to run more aggressively, in her third career marathon.

"I want to test my limits in this one,'' Trengove says.

"In London I didn't have a huge amount of experience so I wanted to make sure I got things together and put in a good race but still be a little conservative early.

"This time I will be a little bit braver and test my boundaries.

"I will aim to race the other girls as well as myself.

"The aim of the world championships will be to take that next step in my preparations for the Commonwealth Games and the (Rio) Olympics. "

The Keswick resident has dropped her mileage back from about 170km per week to about 130km as she begins to freshen up for Moscow.

Her coach Adam Didyk says a top 30 finish in Moscow is realistic but the main aim will be to continue her steady improvement.