Helen Davies is targeting not only a hat-trick of Brighton Marathon titles this weekend, but also a personal best time – and she is bang on schedule to achieve that double goal.

East Anglian Daily Times: Ipswich JAFFA's Helen Davies, on her way to victory at the 2017 Brighton Marathon. Picture: JAMES RICHARDSONIpswich JAFFA's Helen Davies, on her way to victory at the 2017 Brighton Marathon. Picture: JAMES RICHARDSON (Image: Archant)

Suffolk’s leading lady has won the Brighton Marathon for two years in a row, following up her victorious 2hrs 42mins 37secs effort from 2017 with an even quicker 2:38:41 win on the East Sussex coast last year.

Now Davies, of Ipswich JAFFA, is hoping to retain her ladies’ crown, as well as making inroads into her fantastic PB time of 2:34:11, set seven years ago at the London Marathon in 2012.

Even though the 39-year-old took a break from competitive running after 2012, to start a family, she has still managed to return to top-level running.

“I know that I am in the right shape to set a PB, I definitely know that,” insisted Davies following her last ‘paced’ training run this morning.

“I am in as good-a-shape as I was before my break, if not better than I was in 2012. All the stats and the data suggest that I can get a PB. There’s no reason why I can’t run well. However, a lot can happen in a marathon and I will need a little luck with the weather as well.

“I know what I am capable of, and the weather is not looking too bad at the moment, although it would be nice to have a tail wind during the last four miles along the seafront, rather than the slight head-wind of the previous two years,” added Davies, who is coached by Clive Sparkes.

Meanwhile, club-mate Sara Bird will also be returning to Brighton this weekend. Bird will be hoping to get on the podium again, following last year’s third spot.

Other JAFFA runners to have entered the Brighton event include Andy Miley, Adriana Houchell (running her second Brighton Marathon) and Marcus Catlin, who has 10 marathons behind him and a best of 3:06. Paul Cline will be running his debut marathon, in aid of ‘MIND,’ while Sue Lockhart will be tackling her third marathon.

Also running marathons this weekend, in JAFFA colours, are Alex Archer, who will be raising money for Prostate Cancer Research Centre at the Paris Marathon in France, and Alec Wright, who will be toeing the line at the Bungay Marathon in north Suffolk.