Teddington athlete Jo Pavey reckons stepping up to the marathon distance is proving to be a daunting prospect after suffering disappointment over 10,000m at the Beijing Olympics.

The 35-year-old distance runner – the British 3,000m indoor record holder – finished 12th in China last summer after stepping up to the longer distance in 2007 having already won Commonwealth silver over 5,000m.

She made the decision to run the London Marathon in December and is targeting a fourth Olympic appearance at the 2012 Games.

The Devon-born star will join the Princess Alice Hospice marathon team as an ambassador and, having already passed on some tips to her team-mates, admits she is taking a step into the unknown.

“It is a bit of a daunting prospect for me as it is a big step up and very much a new challenge at this stage in my career,” she said.

“I think meeting up with people from the hospice will help inspire me. The fact they are going out of their way to raise money for such a worthy cause is going to have an inspirational affect on my training.”

Pavey and Olympic sprinter Della Pascoe will both team up to represent the Surrey-based charity on April 26, and will line up on the start line in April alongside Paula Radcliffe.

“It was an honour to be asked and I’m really excited. Hopefully, we can all exchange training tips,” added Pavey.