All the nerves, tension, doubts and fears could now give way to relief, excitement and euphoria after months of hard work. Van Zyl had dreamed of this moment,  since she started running again after the birth of her first child in September, 2015.

And now the dream is reality. Irvette van Zyl is the fastest female Olympic Marathon qualifier for the 2016 Games in Rio in August. The 28 year-old crossed the finish line 2:32:20 in 15th position.

“The plan was to go for a 2:28 to 2:30 time, but after I missed my drinks bottle after 25km, the wheels came off a bit and I suffered,” said Van Zyl from London after her race. “But I am happy, the box is ticked, Rio here I come.”

Missing the bottle cost her in more ways than one. The biting wind ate into her reserves as she tried to maintain the sub 2:30 pace; the dedicated pace maker was not able to maintain the required pace and Van Zyl ended up setting the pace. So whilst the cold meant she needed more sustenance, it also had a psychological effect according to coach Lindsey Parry.

In the end though it is the fact that Irvette van Zyl has run the fastest qualifying time that matters. “I am not sore after yesterday’s race, “Van Zyl said. “That shows me that I could have gone faster and gone around 2:28 had I not suffered those cramps from 28km onwards.

Van Zyl was bang on target when she reached halfway in 74:22, running at 3:53 pace. She slowed dramatically after 28km with her 5km splits going from 17:44 to 18:11; dropping further to 18:48 and 18:50 which resulted in the second half being run in 1:18.

“I felt she could go 2:28 and faster based on her training in the months leading up to London,” said Parry, “So whilst we did not hit the desired time, the end result of qualifying for Rio is the most important one.”

Next stop…. Rio.