Becky Briggs recently enjoyed a huge marathon breakthrough performance as she took five minutes off her PB at the Manchester Marathon just a couple of weeks ago. We had a chance to speak to her about the race as well as her running career to date in the first episode of our brand new Vinco Videocast Series.
Watch the full interview below:
Briggs spoke on a number of topics in the interview and there were a few stand out points along the way.
The build-up to the Manchester race for Briggs had not been huge having only had two races under her belt, racing in the BUCS Cross Country finishing 20th and then heading to the Wokingham Half Marathon finishing in a time of 73 minutes 50 seconds.
“I didn’t really know where I was, I kind of thought I’m in okay shape, but not outstanding. I wasn’t doing any out of this world sessions, I was just ticking along and getting them done. So a standard build up, no disasters, but equally not amazing.”
Evidently the blank mindset going into the race paid off for Briggs as she crossed the finish line full of emotion, running a time of 2:29:04.
“I hadn’t processed I was going to run that time until I crossed the finish line. Behind all that, is that running has been a huge part of my life for the past 10-11 years and it has been plagued with more downs that ups, but I think running a time like that is a good time for a British female. I feel like no matter what happens in the rest of my running career is that no one can take that time away from me.”
Briggs has not gone down the traditional running route, fully committing herself to the marathon distance at the tender age of 22. It is no doubt going to turn a few heads making this move so early on, but Briggs has confidently said this is the side of the sport she most enjoys and is good at, so why not take the chance now.
“If someone said to me ‘If you’re going to go to the Olympics in the future, what event is it going to be?’ it was always going to be the marathon for me”
Running has not always been plain sailing for Briggs and there have been struggles along the way. It is clear Briggs has had to find courage to overcome these moments in the sport and has used this to create a positive spin on things which has ultimately led her to recent success.
“It made me so strong minded to get myself out of being in such a bad place, that its given me the strength and motivation that I can succeed in running… I appreciate it an awful lot and if I could go back to my younger self and tell her what she did she would be so proud.
For her own Olympic journey, 2022 will be a huge season for Beck Briggs, with plenty of big races on the calendar. More importantly though, what we can take from this interview is that she is taking everything that comes in between in her stride, making sure she is enjoying the process and the results will come with that. It is no doubt Briggs will be a future star in the British long distance running world.
