Top middle distance runner Lamont Marshall has ruled himself out of this year’s Bermuda Day Half Marathon.The multiple national record holder has opted not to compete in next month’s 13.1 mile road race in favour of putting all of his emphasis on qualifying for this summer’s Olympics in the UK.“I won’t be doing May 24th this year,” Marshall said. “Training-wise, I was never a long distance runner as opposed to a middle distance runner - I just always ran May 24th because of the prestige.“The training is quite different for a half marathon where I would have to do a lot more mileage as opposed to the short and sharp track sessions that a middle distance runner does. And being that it’s an Olympic year I want to focus on the track. I’ve never given an entire season to the track, and that’s why I feel I never reached my full potential.”The Bermudian runner has set his sights on representing Bermuda in the 1,500 metres at this summer’s Olympics.“I feel most confident running the 1,500m that is a combination of speed and strength,” Marshall said. “It’s also the best shot I have at the London Olympic Games.“The B standard is 3:38.00 in the 1,500m and I would have to reach this mark by July 8. So for the next ten weeks I’ll be doing strictly track oriented workouts and races.”Marshall has left no stone unturned in his quest for Olympic qualification having travelled to Nairobi, Kenya earlier this year to train under the watchful gaze of two-time World Indoor 800 metres champion Abubaker Kaki Khamis.The elite runner completed a rigid training programme drawn up by Kenyan running legend Douglas Wakiihuri who had invited him to broaden his athletic horizons on the African continent.Marshall’s primary objective while in Kenya was to work on his speed and condition himself to running at much higher altitudes in the hope of enhancing his chances of Olympic qualification.The 27-year-old runner, who currently holds national records for the 10,000m, 5,000m and 3,000m, said there will be plenty of other opportunities to compete again in the Bermuda Day Half Marathon in the future.“May 24th isn’t going anywhere and the older you get the stronger you get, so returning to the race after a track career shouldn’t be difficult at all,” he said. “After last season travelling to the CAC Championships I felt I had been missing out on a great deal in international meets because of the timing of May 24th.“It’s near to impossible to run a half marathon in May and then two months later return to the track fresh and ready to run fast. It’s either/ or and I feel that I’ve made the right decision to focus on the track and not the road.”Marshall finished second behind winner Chris Estwanik in last year’s Bermuda Day Half Marathon.