Louise Perrio: Guernsey marathon record holder to focus on shorter distances

Louise Perrio has won six gold, three silver and four bronze medals at the Island Games since 2005

Louise Perrio says she is unlikely to concentrate on the marathon next year, despite breaking the Guernsey record in her debut over the distance.

The 35-year-old took nearly five minutes off the Guernsey record in Frankfurt at the weekend as she clocked a time of 2 hrs 49 mins and 59 secs.

"I think I can get quicker over the shorter distances," she said.

"I think that's what I'm going to try and do next season and come back to the marathon afterwards."

She told BBC Radio Guernsey: "I ran a personal best for 1500m this year, so there's no reason why I can't get the same in the 5,000m or 10,000m next year."

The 2017 Island Games gold medallist over 10,000m and the half marathon was five minutes outside the time set by Guernsey's Athletics Club to support a nomination for next year's Commonwealth Games.

But Perrio says she could have gone faster had her preparation gone to plan.

"The first part of training mostly went well, and then I picked up an inflammation on a tendon in my foot that wouldn't die down, so the second half of the preparation was hampered," she said.

"If I'd had an extra two weeks full training then I'd have had much more confidence about how fast I could go out, how fast I could run, what it's supposed to feel like, how hard you could push, all the things that I don't know yet as I don't have the experience."