Ipswich JAFFA’s leading lady, Helen Davies, has been selected to run for England, 10 years after she made her ground-breaking international debut.

Davies will represent England at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in Canada this October, over the 26.2-mile distance.

The 38-year-old, from Rushmere St Andrew, described her “delight” at being recognised by her country again, after staging a successful return to the competitive road running stage after starting a young family.

Davies (nee Decker) first ran for England at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2008, and again in 2009, before going on to run the marathon at major championships in 2010, at the European Championships in Barcelona and the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

She was not expecting to return to anywhere near the great heights of those wonderful years, when she was competing against some of the best marathon runners in the world, but impressive back-to-back wins at the Brighton Marathon, last year and again this year, have propelled her back into the spotlight.

“I am honoured and of course delighted to be able to represent my country again,” enthused Davies, who is sponsored by Coes Running of Ipswich.

“It will be nice to go back to Toronto again, to where it all started for me really.

“I never expected anything, after having had my two boys, but things have gone better than I anticipated.

“It’s now 10 years since I first ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and it was such an important landmark event for me at the time, in my running career. It set me up for the international stage,” added Davies.

Married to JAFFA club-mate Gavin Davies, the couple have two children, Kingsley, 5, and Hector, 3. She is coached by JAFFA stalwart Clive Sparkes.