Oxford marathon runner Mara Yamauchi (pictured) will train at altitude in Switzerland as she continues her preparation for the Beijing Olympics.

The 34-year-old set a personal best on her way to winning the Osaka Marathon in January, and finished second in Sunday's BUPA 10k in London.

She said: "My main goal is to get to Beijing in the best possible condition I can be in and then give it 100 per cent.

"Obviously it would be great to win a medal, but the top eight is more realistic."

Yamauchi says she is hopeful that it will not take too much time for her to acclimatise to conditions in Beijing and has already travelled twice from her home in Tokyo to assess the route.

"I want to go there and give it my best and then I can go away knowing I couldn't give any more," she added.