Commonwealth Games 10,000m bronze medallist Mara Yamauchi gave an informative and insightful training session at Thetford Athletics Club.

The Team GB athlete, whose Commonwealth Games success came in 2006 in Melbourne, put the senior athletes through their paces, giving them exercise tips to help maintain healthy muscles that can cope with the rigours of the toughest training regime or competition.

The long-distance athlete also gave an honest and frank talk after the training session about her running career, including the disappointment on missing out on the London Marathon title, coming second to Germany’s Irina Mikitenko in 2009, setting the second fastest marathon time by a British athlete of 2:23.12. Hopeful of victory in that particular race, when asked by shoe manufacturers Asics what colour piping she would like down the side of her running shoes, she requested ‘gold.’

Yamauchi retired from competitive athletics in January 2013 and is now looking forward to supporting the next generation of athletes having recently gained her coaching qualifications.