As Genevieve Gregson eyes the next race in her comeback from an Achilles rupture and the birth of her first child, the Aussie distance runner admits Sunday's Valencia Marathon has the feeling of an Olympic Games qualifying shootout.
But despite the looming contest against Eloise Wellings and Izzi Batt-Doyle on the flat and fast streets of the Spanish city, Gregson says she feels far more relaxed than she did when honing in on July's Gold Coast Marathon.
The former steeplechase star nailed her first marathon, blitzing the Gold Coast race in two hours, 28 minutes and 33 seconds (2:28:33) to record the second-fastest time by an Australian woman on debut.
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Sinead Diver and Lisa Weightman all but snared their tickets to Paris early in the qualification window, smashing the 2:26:50 entry standard in Valencia and Osaka respectively.
It's now highly likely that Gregson, Wellings, Batt-Doyle, Jessica Stenson and Ellie Pashley are scrapping for one spot on the women's marathon team.
"I've been talking to a lot of people leading into this race [the Valencia Marathon] and everyone's like, 'How do you deal with the pressure and the nerves of this being an Olympic qualifying chance?', but honestly, leading into Gold Coast was way, way more scary for me," Gregson told Wide World of Sports.
"I found that really nerve-racking and stressful because there was so much more unknown for me. I did not know if I was actually capable of the marathon, full stop, or whether I was capable of running a decent one and being elite again.
"Even the races I did leading into Gold Coast, nothing was impressive. Everything was impressive when you put it in context of where I was coming from, but nothing was at the level where I expected myself to be again."
The three-time Olympian said she "felt sick" and "didn't sleep great" ahead of the Gold Coast Marathon. The fact she had grown up on the Gold Coast did little to ease her anxiety.
In the days that followed the Gold Coast Marathon she looked back on her gut-wrenching fall at Tokyo 2020, reflecting on snapping an Achilles during the women's 3000m steeplechase final and crying inconsolably as she was wheelchaired from the track. Two Achilles surgeries followed.
"There were so many things running through my head of all the things to think about for the race [on the Gold Coast], with fuelling and pacing and checking the weather all the time, whereas with Valencia I know that I've done everything so well; it's been great prep, I've managed to get here healthy, I didn't get sick on the way, Archer [her child] has been really easy for us … and I just feel like if Sunday doesn't pan out it's not the end of the world because I feel like I've done everything I can to give myself every chance," Gregson said.
"Maybe I'll go out and be a bit ambitious and it doesn't pay off, but I still know I'm going to have a good run no matter what. It might not be the best run, but with Gold Coast it was almost like a pass or a fail feeling … I just don't see Sunday going badly; I see it going good or amazing and I think that gives me a lot of peace.
"I feel relaxed having these girls here doing it with me, having Ryan [her husband Ryan Gregson] pretty much training with me every step of the way, he's going to be out there on the course.
"It's going to be as comfortable as it can be for a foreign race."
Gregson, Weightman, Wellings and Batt-Doyle will all be racing the Valencia Marathon.
Weightman has a marathon personal best of 2:23:15 and is aiming to become the first Australian track and field athlete to contest five Olympic Games.
Wellings' personal best is 2:25:10 and Batt-Doyle's is 2:27:54.
Diver broke the Australian women's record in the 2022 Valencia Marathon, clocking 2:21:34 to shatter the 2:22:36 run by Benita Willis in the 2006 Chicago Marathon.
Gregson's weekly mileage peaked at 153 kilometres in her build for the Valencia Marathon. The 34-year-old believes she's capable of running between 2:24:00 and 2:25:00 on Sunday. But Wellings and Batt-Doyle have the same coach, renowned guru Nic Bideau, and have cranked out their own superb blocks.
"In no way would I ever care if one of these girls beat me in any race that wasn't a selection race," Gregson said.
"It does kind of take the fun out of it a little bit, the fact that I have to race the girls and it matters, mainly because these girls are some of my best friends.
"I just wish I could have more fun with Izzi and Eloise in the race, but at the end of the day we've got to treat each other as any other opposition because we want to be the first to cross the line. That's the only negative about Sunday."
They'll be toasting the Valencia Marathon with post-race drinks.
"Eloise said, 'Let's take turns leading — the person that's the worst at pacing has to buy drinks on Sunday night'," Gregson said.
"We can still be so lighthearted about it, and no matter what happens on Sunday, without doubt we will all be hanging out afterwards, celebrating or consoling or doing whatever needs to happen."
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