Merrien had never competed in a marathon before

Guernsey runner Lee Merrien was the fourth Briton home in the 2010 London marathon on Sunday.

Merrien, who had been aiming for a top three finish, completed the course well inside the qualifying time for the European Championship.

His time of two hours 16 minutes and 47 seconds was a whole minute and 23 seconds inside that target.

However, as he finished outside the top three, Merrien will have to wait to see if he is selected to compete.

Merrien, who has recently recovered from an Achilles injury, said before the race that he was aiming to it in two hours and 15 minutes.

He said the field was stronger in terms of the British runners this year because more are aiming to qualify not only for the Europeans but also for the Commonwealth Games.

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