History-making South Kent Harriers runner Margaret Connolly to represent England in three different races in 2024

History is thought to have been made by evergreen runner Margaret Connolly.

Connolly, who represents South Kent Harriers from Folkestone and lives in Blean, near Canterbury, has again qualified to be part of the England Athletics age-group team - except, this time, in three different races!

Having represented England’s marathon team at the 2023 MBNA Chester Marathon, she will do so again this year while she will be involved across the half-marathon and 10k distances, representing her England Athletics age-group squad, as well.

Connolly, who also hopes to compete at April’s London Marathon, said: “It’s mental!

“I still cannot believe it. I set it as a challenge because I was overjoyed just to run in the marathon last year.

“I ran the Chester Marathon for England - it was England versus Wales - and England were the victors.

“When I was running for England then, I ran 4hr10min47sec, so I was asked to run for England again at the same event this October.

“There are five qualifying events for every race and you have got to record a certain time and be in the top three in your race category.

“A friend mentioned to me that the second-to-last qualifying race to run for England in the 10k was in Brighton around the end of November.

“So, I thought to myself ‘I wonder if I can qualify for the 10k as well?’. It was a tougher task because there were a lot of good runners in my age-group.

“It was horrendous weather - but I managed to do it in 50.49. I had to really dig deep.

“I was over the moon that I had qualified for the 10k, as well, and then I was speaking to someone at England Athletics Masters and they happened to say to me that the other distance was the half-marathon.

“The last attempt to qualify for the half-marathon was