Craig Mottram to make marathon debut in London as he chases Olympic place

RIO aspirant Craig Mottram knows he is going into the unknown when he makes his marathon debut in London on Sunday night.

Long run men's 3rd place Craig Mottram crosses the line in the Run for the Kids on Sunday, March 20, 2016, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. RFTK2016 Picture: Hamish Blair

RIO aspirant Craig Mottram knows he is going into the unknown when he makes his marathon debut in London on Sunday night.

The Australian middle-distance star is switching to the longer event in an attempt to qualify for his fifth Olympics at the age of 35.

Mottram sought out marathon legend Steve Moneghetti last week for some advice ahead of the biggest challenge of his career.

Craig Mottram has made the switch to marathon as he aims to qualify for his fifth Olympic Games.

“The last couple of weeks have been about freshening up and the body has been coming out a little bit which is nice,” he said.

“It’s very different the feel you get when you’re trying to prepare for a marathon as opposed to track.

“You don’t feel like you’re flowing as well as you do on the track and sometimes you’re second guessing how you are going.”

Moneghetti, a world championships bronze medallist and 1994 Commonwealth marathon champion, explained the lethargy Mottram had been experiencing was normal.

“It was more about chatting to him about the training that I’ve done and getting back from him that the feelings I’m having were normal,” Mottram said.

“I think what happens with track runners going to the marathon is they fall into the trap of thinking they can run like they used to.

“It’s a totally different event and for me it was seeking a bit of, not comfort, but support that it was normal and he put my mind at ease.”

Mottram has covered more than 2000km over the past three months to prepare for his long-awaited debut in the 42km event.

“For me this is all about the marathon,” he said. “The Olympics is great and I would love to qualify but I have always wanted to run a marathon.

“I know the pace will feel comfortable early but I have been warned that it does get hard and when we go past 16k I will be running further than I ever have run before in a race.”

The weather will be challenging with rain and nine degrees the forecast for London.

Mottram knows he has to run under 2hr16min to put himself in the selection frame with five runners already under the Olympic qualifying time.

He will be attempting to dislodge Brad Milosevic from the third selection spot with Michael Shelley (2hr11min.19sec) and Scott Westcott (2:15.30sec) in the top two spots.

US-based Shawn Forrest, who was diagnosed with diabetes just over a year ago, is also chasing an Olympic spot in the London Marathon.

Victorian Liam Adams is also chasing a spot and will be competing at the same time in a marathon in Warsaw, Poland.