Eamonn Martin, the last British male athlete to win the Flora London Marathon title, does not see a successor emerging in the foreseeable future.
Martin believes until there is a resurgence in domestic middle-distance running, which is currently in the doldrums with the exception of European 5,000 metres silver medallist Mo Farah, British marathon running will continue to mark time.
The former Commonwealth 10,000m champion believes a successful track career offers the perfect springboard before stepping up to the 26-mile, 382-yard distance.
Martin also believes if global reputations are to be enhanced, anyone aiming to follow in his footsteps and of the other five British winners of the London Marathon, they should also use cross-country racing as a career-enhancing tool.
"You look at the depth and strength of athletes who were competing in my day, it was extraordinary at all levels," said Martin, who after breaking Brendan Foster's United Kingdom 10,000m record in 1988 saw it last for a decade.
"There was no respite given the massive talent around and almost every weekend, be it a track event during the summer or a cross-country in the winter, you had a testing race.
"The benefits were immense and there was no time for relaxation with so much talent about.
"That doesn't happen now and really apart from Mo Farah, I would say unless there is a drastic change in attitudes there is nothing emerging from around the corner."
Martin followed a career path established by Steve Jones, a former world record holder and still the country's fastest marathon runner, who opted to extend his career progressively.
The current English cross-country team manager said: "I always planned stepping up to the marathon but always felt it was something I shouldn't do until younger runners had overtaken me on the track.
"Like Steve who during his career could race well over 1500m and very quickly over 5,000m and 10,000m, I felt this would be advantageous in the task I would face and it was.
"I never expected it to be easy and I took advice from other top British marathon runners including Ron Hill and they don't come any better than him.
"Being quite frank, I genuinely believed because of the way I had prepared and the self-belief I had, I could win the London Marathon and it was my strength and finishing speed from the cross country and track days which pulled it off for me.
"Today's guys just don't do it and until they accept the fact it is a necessity, I believe there will be no going forward in the marathon."
Fifteen years ago Martin was celebrating the birth of Eamonn junior, and went on to run a perfect race when outsprinting Mexico's Isidro Rico across the finishing line on Westminster Bridge.
It was truly a capital victory for the ecstatic local fans who had given Martin - then a Ford car engineer from Basildon - ear-splitting support as he wound his way along the testing course from the Greenwich start line.
Martin became the sixth Brit to clinch a home win in the 13th staging of an event which was the dream of the late Olympic 3,000m steeplechaser Chris Brasher, whose vision of a mass participation marathon was first born at the Dysart Arms pub near Richmond Park.
Hugh Jones in 1982, followed immediately by Mike Gratton and Charlie Spedding, the Geordie who would go on later that year to claim the Olympic marathon silver medal, were the first three UK champions.
Then hot in their footsteps Welshman Jones, the world record holder at that time, ran two hours eight minutes 16 seconds, which still the quickest time by a Brit in London. Scotsman Allister Hutton added his name to the role of honour in 1990.
But since Martin's memorable achievement the country's top men - with the exception of Paul Evans claiming a determined third position in 1996 - have all failed to make the medallist's podium.
Indeed since Martin was ninth the year after his success, bringing humour to the race when wearing an advertisement patch for a well-known contraceptive company, only Evans, Gary Staines, Richard Nerurkar, Jon Brown, Mark Steinle, Dan Robinson and Andi Jones have managed top-10 finishes.
The biggest embarassment came in 2003 when Paula Radcliffe's women's world record mark of 2:15.25secs was over two-and-half minutes ahead of male counterpart Chris Cariss.
Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Robinson, who was ninth a year ago and finished 11th in last summer's World Championships, will be favourite to win the Olympic trial being staged as part of the London race.
Peter Riley could test him along with fellow Britain internationals Dominic Bannister, Huw Lobb, Kassa Tadesse and Ian Hudspith.
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