In civilian clothes, he looks as skinny as a middle-distance runner.

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"You call yourself a middle-distance runner when you've run a mile in under four minutes, " Moorcroft, now chief executive of UK Athletics, told BBC Sport.

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One of the most unlikely nations to compete at the Winter Games has been Kenya, but there are few stories as compelling as that of former middle-distance runner Philip Boit.

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And - as in the case of middle distance runner Diane Modahl - incorrect storing of a urine sample may alter its chemical components.

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The 29-year-old middle distance runner has been hampered in her preparations for the European championships.

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