Jason Lehmkuhle is ready for London

Down the Backstretch: Most people run London for a fast time. Aside from a lot of turns, it’s a pretty flat, fast course. Is that the reason you chose to run London?

Jason Lehmkuhle: The goal this spring was to run a flat and fast marathon. Since the 2004 Olympic Trials, I've been exclusively on somewhat difficult marathon courses, or, maybe more accurately, not courses that people generally seek out to run fast (Boston, New York, Twin Cities).

I'm getting a little older and PR's are going to be harder to come by, but I really believe I can run faster in the marathon. I wanted to get on a course that gave me the best chance to run in the 2:10 to 2:11 range, and something that more would more closely simulate the flatish course that the 2012 Trials will be run on.

DtB: What did your New York half tell you about your fitness, your progress for London?

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