Amy Gomer flies out to the Big Apple today ahead of her first ever run in the New York Marathon on Sunday.

It comes hot on the heels of her first London Marathon in April which she completed in well under three-and-a-half hours.

That race in England’s capital city was something of a ground-breaker for the 26-year-old Stroud Athletic Club runner because not only did she run a personal best time of three hours, 22 minutes, she also got ‘spotted’ by representatives from Sports Direct, the UK’s largest sports-goods retailer.

“I’ve been very, very lucky,” said Amy, whose trip to the US is being sponsored by Sports Direct Running.

The company have done a series of videos with Amy in which she explains the commitment involved in running a marathon and her journey in the build-up to the New York race.

And while no one would turn down an opportunity like that, Amy first and foremost remains a very enthusiastic runner, someone who was delighted with her run in London six months ago.

“I was very pleased with that time, it was so hot,” she said.

That was only her third ever marathon, the first was in Warsaw in Poland in 2015 and the second in Manchester last year when she booked her place in this year’s London run with a time of three hours, 39.

So what time is she hoping for in New York?

“I’m not sure,” she said, “I’m told it’s a very hilly course. I had a hip injury in August and September but hopefully that’s okay now. I’m just going to try to enjoy the experience and hopefully I can finish in around four hours. I’m very, very excited, it feels so surreal.”

Amy admits that she hadn’t planned to run two marathons this year but says the chance to run in New York was one not to be missed, and is so grateful for the opportunity.

So what’s the plan for 2019?

“I’m going to try and focus on shorter distances, 5K’s or 10K’s,” she said. “I’ll run a few half marathons as well, I enjoy them.”