Walden eyes up place at Telford

Walden raised �1500 for charity by running the New York Marathon

Ricky Walden has cited running the New York Marathon as inspiration to reach the UK Championship in Telford, and to break into snooker's world top 16.

"There was a point where I thought I wasn't going to make it, but I managed to run all the way," Walden told the World Snooker website.

"I really want to qualify and get through to Telford."

The 27-year-old completed his first marathon in four hours 17 minutes, raising £1500 for Teenage Cancer Trust.

He continued: "At the end I felt very emotional, I couldn't believe I had finished it.

"I was just delighted to show that I could do it as I am not a natural runner.

"I'm going to keep the fitness going by doing a lot of running and gym work, but I won't be taking on another marathon for a while."

Walden, last season's Shanghai Masters champion, stands 13th on the provisional world rankings list, and is bidding to break into the top 16 for the first time.

My head wasn't right going into it and I was disappointed by the way I handled myself

Ricky Walden on the Grand Prix

Ranking points are up for grabs at the Pukka Pies UK Championship qualifiers in Prestatyn (23-30 November) and then the finals in Telford (from 5 December) with the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins, Stephen Hendry and Neil Robertson competing for the title.

If Walden makes it through, his first-round opponent in Telford will be the current world champion John Higgins.

At the Grand Prix in Glasgow last October, Walden suffered a setback with a 5-4 defeat by Essex's Mark King. Walden led by 31 points on the brown in the deciding frame but gave away two fouls which led to King winning the match on the final black.

"I was gutted for a few days after that, it was as low as I've been," admitted Walden.

"My head wasn't right going into it and I was disappointed by the way I handled myself. I still managed to virtually win the match - but then somehow gave it away.

"But I'm not worried about it any more and the UK Championship is the perfect time to bounce back."