Brown pulls out of half-marathon

Brown was Britain's best performer at the last two Olympic marathons

Britain's Jon Brown has withdrawn from next month's World Half-Marathon Championships in Canada following his exertions in the Great North Run.

Brown, who finished eighth on Sunday, wants more time to prepare for the New York Marathon in November.

He said: "Last weekend took more out of me than I expected and physically I feel run down after a difficult week.

"In light of my upcoming marathon I feel I need more time to recover and prepare for my primary event."

The women's team of Mara Yamauchi, Hayley Haining, Debbie Mason and Susan Partridge will still compete in Edmonton on 1 October.