Megan Keith open to 'pretty boring' 10,000m switch after Olympic qualifying time

Megan Keith admits "through gritted teeth" the track 10,000m could be the event that suits her best, despite finding it "pretty boring".

The 21-year-old from Inverness, a European Under-23 cross country and 5,000m gold medallist, clocked 30 minutes 36.84 in California this month.

That is inside the Olympic qualifying standard in her first 10,000m race and Keith is now open to a switch.

"I think it probably is up my street," she told BBC Scotland.

"The only times we have discussed it is when I have told my coach or my training partners or my family that I will never be running one.

"I wanted to stay firmly in the middle-distance camp. But time passes and here I am, so I wouldn't be surprised if it is where my strengths lie. But I am still getting to grips with how mundane it is.

"Through gritted teeth, I could say potentially because I have never actually watched a full 10,000m on TV or whatever because I find them pretty boring."

After one race, Keith is fourth on the UK all-time list, behind Jessica Warner-Judd, Paula Radcliffe and fellow Scot Eilish McColgan.

"I do not see myself in their realms at all," she said. "But it is very special being mentioned like that.

"You can get too caught up in chasing these standards and you normalise these sort of times, but to even be considered for going to the Olympics or the World Championships, you have to have run faster than that time, so you kind of go 'well that is what I have got to do then'.

"But then I run the time and you think about it and realise how crazy it all is and there is not a huge number of people who have gone much faster, which is slightly mind boggling."

While achieving the Olympic qualifying standard does not guarantee a place in the Team GB squad for Paris, a top-two place in May's British trials would.

Commonwealth Games gold medallist McColgan is currently the only other UK athlete with the required time under her belt.

"There are up to three spots, so there is still a chance if the trial race doesn't go to plan that someone can go if they have the time or also world rankings," the Edinburgh University sports science student added.

"But that is a whole other rabbit hole that I don't quite understand, so part one is hitting the standard. Part two is then having to turn up at the trial in a month-and-a-half's time.

"Eilish is the only other person with the standard in the current window, so it is a good spot to be in right now."