McFadden goes back to the road to defend her London title
Paralympic and world champion Tatyana McFadden returns to the roads to defend her women's wheelchair title at the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday, 13 April, after winning a silver medal in the sit-ski sprint at the Sochi Winter Paralympics last month.
While other wheelchair racers have been preparing for the season with warm weather training, the American has been chasing medals in a cold climate after a year of combining her two sports.
"It's been so hard to adjust. Most of the year so far has been spent in the snow," said McFadden. "Four hours a day I've been skiing and everything has been about Sochi.
"I've been back for three weeks now and thought I had forgotten how to wheelchair race. I've had to regain the power involved in this sport."
The 24-year-old enjoyed a phenomenal year in 2013. She triumphed at the Boston marathon, broke the course record in London, then won in Chicago and New York too, making her the first person ever (non-disabled or disabled) to win the four major marathons in the same year.
Despite McFadden's previous success around the world, the closest she'd come to a London victory before last year was fourth in 2011. On Sunday she will be joined by her team-mate Amanda McGrory, who won the London title in 2009 and 2011 and was second last year close behind McFadden.
British athlete Shelly Woods will be the crowd favourite. An experienced athlete on track and road, Woods has two London titles, her second in 2012 coming just months before she won marathon silver at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
This year, the Blackpool-based Woods has changed coaches to Jenny Archer, the long-term guide to fellow-Briton and six-times London champion David Weir.
"I switched in December and it's been going great with Jenny and David," said Woods. "They're brilliant at what they do so it's nice to be a part of that.
"I've been training hard. I got a PB in the Lisbon Half Marathon [last month] so it's going well. I'm looking forward to the race."
Woods is joined by debutant Jade Jones, who has moved up distances since winning the Mini London Marathon three years in a row. Still 18, Jones is a promising star, backed by one of the legends of wheelchair racing, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who first spotted her talent at a school sports day.
Japan's Wakako Tsuchida is the fastest woman on paper. She won London in 2010 and was second in 2012. At 39, she is also among the most experienced in the world and recently won the Tokyo Marathon for the seventh year in a row.
Other contenders for the women's wheelchair race are 2008 winner Sandra Graf from Switzerland, America's 2012 Paralympic champion Shirley Reilly, and Canadian Diane Roy.
