SEVEN years ago he was a 16-and-a-half-stone, 20-a-day smoker, but Steve Way could now be on the brink of Commonwealth Games selection.

Way was the third English runner home in the London Marathon last month - a qualifying event for Glasgow this summer - and dipped 33 seconds under the qualifying time in clocking a personal best of 2:16:27.

England Athletics is keen to nominate to Commonwealth Games England the maximum number of athletes and the first English runner past the post in London is given an automatic nomination.

However, doubts linger over whether double Olympic champion Mo Farah and Chris Thompson, first and second respectively, wish to compete at the Commonwealths, which may hand Bournemouth Athletic Club member Way a berth and prevent him waiting on the result of a selection meeting next month.

The Sturminster Marshall resident's rise in athletics has been remarkable and were he to earn selection for Glasgow, he would compete as a veteran given that he turns 40 three weeks before the Games.

Way, who on Saturday broke the 100km British road record, told the Daily Echo: “The last three weeks have been beyond my wildest dreams with the combination of the London Marathon PB, possible Commonwealth Games selection and breaking a British record – it doesn’t get much better.

“Even up until a couple of years ago if someone had suggested I was going to get to the point where I’d be eligible to be selected, I wouldn’t have believed them.

“To represent England at the Commonwealths would be quite ridiculous. I’d be representing England in my first major Games as, unofficially, an old man. There’s no definite yet but it’s looking like an option.

“The Commonwealths marathon is in 12 weeks so I’d have to have a good, sensible recovery in the wake of the 100k on Saturday.

“I’d probably take it slightly easy for a couple of weeks and then I’d have to get my head down for 10 solid weeks of training.

“It’s been a hectic year so far, so I would have to leave my downtime period until later in the year.”