Last updated at 15:50, Tuesday, 12 March 2013

OLYMPIC distance runner Chris Thompson is heading for altitude in a bid to boost his preparations for this summer’s World Championships in Moscow.

HARD YARDS Barrow-born Chris Thompson, seen during the Olympic 10,000 metres final in August, is preparing for some hard altitude training in the US, with his sights firmly set on the World Championships in Moscow this summerPA

The Barrow 10,000m ace – who fulfilled his dream by competing in the Olympic Stadium at London 2012 – is currently in his winter training base in Oregon preparing for the outdoor athletics season.

His seasonal bow is due to take place at Stanford, California, where he will look to achieve the qualifying standards for Moscow, having missed out on the last Worlds in South Korea due to injury.

But first he will spend time with coach Mark Rowland and his team of runners at altitude to better prepare him for the campaign ahead.

“I’m just getting my base fitness nice and strong at the moment,” said the 31-year-old European Championships silver medallist.

“Hopefully I’ll be looking to open my season at Stanford again this year at the end of April. I’ll be looking for qualifying standards for Moscow.

“The team leave for altitude training in two weeks, so we are all getting ourselves ready and prepared for that trip.

“Then the real hard, specific work will start.”

While other athletes – including Thompson’s Great Britain team-mate and double Olympic champion Mo Farah – have been competing on the indoor circuit, Thompson has concentrated purely on training for the outdoor season.

He will remain in America until the summer, when he is set to switch to the European events to qualify and prepare for the World Championships in Russia, between August 10 and 18.

He admits the indoor circuit, with its shorter 200m lap and tighter turns, is not for him and said: “There are no indoors for me – I’ve never been an indoor man.

“The turns don’t look too Thommo friendly! But one day I might get involved.”

That switch might coincide with Thompson’s desire to move up in distance to the marathon ahead of the Rio Olympics in 2016.

The Barrow runner is not the only man planning such a move, with Farah now having set out his stall, starting with completing half the London Marathon course next month.

Thompson was not surprised to see his friend make the decision and said: “Mo moving up in distance was always going to be a move he would make.

“It’s a natural progression for a lot of runners, especially with big aerobic capabilities.

“It’s not to say they will all be successful, because it’s an event all on its own in a single category.

“To say you’ve run a good 10k, then you could probably run a good half-marathon is okay, but it’s far from true when it comes to comparing the half-marathon to a full marathon.

“A completely new set of skills comes into play over the second half of a marathon and in my mind I’ll only know if I have it when I do it.

“I know Mo will respect the distance, as will I.

“No matter what event you do, you have to expect a group of world class athletes to beat and Mo stepping up is great for the distance in the future and will make everyone earn their victories.

“I have no idea when or how my first marathon will go, but it’s an exciting prospect and a new challenge.

“You never know, it might be my best event, or it might not work at all. That’s what makes it exciting.”

First published at 15:40, Tuesday, 12 March 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk