Haverhill runner Sam Boreham returns to town after invaluable training spell alongside likes of Jake Smith and Clara Evans in Pontypridd

Sam Boreham is confident that he has returned to Haverhill a much improved athlete.

The 35-year-old, who holds numerous Haverhill Running Club records, relocated to south Wales in 2022 and promptly joined an athletics club in Pontypridd.

Despite being a relatively small organisation, its proximity to Cardiff attracts a number of high calibre athletes, including Nike’s Jake Smith and Clara Evans, who represented Great Britain in the marathon at last year’s Paris Olympics.

And training alongside runners of that ilk has allowed Boreham to ‘propel’ himself to the next level.

“It’s been amazing to train and run alongside such elite athletes,” said Boreham, who has moved back to Haverhill due to a combination of family and work commitments.

“When you run with people like that it definitely helps to propel you to the next level.

“From my time running around Haverhill I thought I was pretty fast, but this was next level. It helped me to get so much more out of myself.

“These are athletes that I was used to watching on the television, so to get the opportunity to learn from them has been invaluable.

“Despite moving back to Haverhill I still remain a member of the club.

“ I’ve got such a good rapport with the people there. I’m still in all of the group chats and it means I can keep getting plenty of insight on how to improve.”

The sight of Boreham running around the streets of Haverhill will now become a regular occurrence for residents of the town as the Great Yeldham-raised athlete puts the finishing touches to his preparations for next month’s British Marathon Championships, which is incorporated within the London Marathon.

And having missed out two years ago because of a back injury, Boreham is eager to make the most of the opportunity this time around.

“I have goals in terms of times. I’d like to finish around two hours 26 minutes and two hours 27 minutes, but definitely sub 2.30,” he said.

“But ultimately I want to enjoy the experience. It’s my first time running this distance and I’ll have my family there watching.

“I could have maybe got around a couple of years ago but I didn’t feel like I’d have done myself justice with the injury.

“Now I feel like I’m in good shape and I believe that I can have a good crack at it.”

After tackling the London Marathon, Boreham is planning to run the Cardiff Half Marathon later this year alongside potentially taking on another marathon elsewhere in Europe.

He will also be on the track in a 5K event in Milton Keynes.