Olympian pulls out of London Marathon (From Stroud News and Journal)

Olympian pulls out of London Marathon

A MYSTERY virus has put paid to Dan Robinson's Flora London Marathon hopes. Blood tests at Bath University revealed nothing, leaving the 30-year-old Robinson, who represented Great Britain at the Olympics in Athens, mystified.

"I haven't felt right for a while. I think it started as a cold and a bit of a bronchial infection," said Robinson,

Despite the virus Robinson has competed in the recent Severn AC road relays at the Pilot Inn, Hardwicke.

Robinson admitted it was a very tough decision to drop out of the marathon especially after running a personal best time of two hours, 13 minutes, 53 seconds to qualify for the Olympics.

"It was a hard decision, but now I have made the decision I feel I can relax a bit more and concentrate on my recovery.

"I will be back running this week after taking a complete break for the last two weeks."

However, Robinson's time from London last year will qualify him for the World Championships in Helsinki this summer.

If Robinson failed to make the summer World Championships he would need to run another marathon to book his place for the Commonwealth Games in Australia next year.