Pavey eyeing Worlds qualification at London Marathon

The 43-year-old last ran the London Marathon in 2011, when she set a PB of 2:28.41 to finish 16th overall.

Pavey became Team GB's first female track athlete to compete at five Olympic Games when she contested the 10,000m in Rio last summer, but has now set her sights on a new challenge.

To qualify for a place at August's World Championships, also being held in London, she will need to run sub-2:36.00 and be one of the top two British finishers.

And while Pavey is under no illusions about the magnitude of the task, her competitive juices are already starting to flow.

"I'm always looking for a new challenge," explained Pavey. "Last year was all about making a fifth Olympic Games and after I had done that I started to think about my next challenge.

"I have been thinking about doing a marathon again for the past few years and for a British athlete the London Marathon – with the amazing home crowds and the iconic course – is the pinnacle.

"I wanted to be sure I was injury-free and could crack on with my training before committing, which I am and I'm really excited about the challenge.

"I would love to qualify for the World Championships in London. I know it's a tough ask, but it is an exciting challenge to think about the possibility of representing my country over distances from the 1500m right up to the marathon.

"It's also an event where I think I have the possibility of running a PB and that is also a massive target of mine."

Sportsbeat 2017