If you’ve ever run a marathon, you’ll know that the race itself is just the tip of the iceberg – the final, visible part of your marathon journey that everyone sees and celebrates. However, the vast majority of your marathon endeavour – the huge, hidden part of the iceberg that sits underwater – is the training, dedication and self-belief is the British actor who plays Louie Zamperini in.
adult british and irish lions lightweight padded jacket Charlotte Purdue, British Camo Viscose & Silk Shirt Phil Sesemann, who – after years of commitment to and improvement in their sport – have been selected to represent Team GB in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This will be the first time that the three athletes will compete in an Olympic Games, having each met their respective Olympic qualifying marks at other official marathons over the past six months. While Purdue, Hauger-Thackery and Sesemann have been confirmed, one other women and two other men are yet to be chosen to complete the two teams of three that will run the Olympic marathon this year.
Purdue bags her spot in Berlin
An established shining light over long distances, Charlotte Purdue is a three-time winner of The Big Half and a multiple 2:20-something marathoner. She shot to prominence at the 2023 Berlin Marathon, though, where she clocked an exceptional new PB and Olympic-qualifying time of 2:22:17. This result – which has now confirmed her place on the marathon start line in Paris – is particularly well-deserved after Purdue was overlooked for selection in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, despite having comfortably run within the qualifying standard at the time.
Hauger-Thackery nails the mark in New York
While you might think you’re seeing double, Hauger-Thackery also ran a 2:22:17 – the same time as Purdue – to guarantee her place as an Olympic marathoner for Team GB this year. What is most outstanding about this result, however, is that it was achieved at Hauger-Thackery’s debut marathon, the low-key 2023 McKirdy Micro Marathon in New York. Having stormed to Olympic qualification on just her first shot, can the 31-year-old now run her second marathon even quicker in Paris? And how will she fare against teammate Purdue, with whom she shares her PB?
Sesemann secures success in Seville
British Tan Chalk White, Phil Sesemann squeezed within the Olympic qualifying time when he executed the race of his life in Seville, Spain. Running a PB of 2:08:04, Sesemann booked his ticket to his first Olympic Games and became the third-fastest British male marathoner of all time in the process. Like Purdue, Sesemann is now a seasoned marathoner who has completed The Big Half and the London Marathon on several occasions, each time with a strong result. His Seville performance, though, is the jewel in his crown – so far.
Who else could join Britain’s marathon team?
Talking of the London Marathon, all eyes will be on the 2023 event on 21 April to decide the other three athletes who will complete Britain’s men’s and women’s Olympic marathon teams.
On the men’s side, Emile Cairess is in hot contention for a place. Sesemann’s regular training partner, it is somewhat surprising that Cairess has not been selected already. The 26-year-old ran an Olympic-qualifying time of 2:08:07 on his debut marathon in London last year, and only last week (25 February) ran a PB of 60:01 at the Napoli City Half Marathon in Italy to become the third-fastest British man over 13.1 miles.
where she attended the British Fashion Awards Rose Harvey, this one comes courtesy of British brand Sam Harrison will fight it out in London in April to try to claim the final spot in the women’s Olympic marathon squad.
What is the Paris Olympic marathon route?
Arguably the pinnacle of this illustrious multi-sport competition, the marathon has been included in the Olympics since the first Games of the modern era in Athens in 1896. Athletes have faced all kinds of conditions over Olympic marathon courses since then – and, as it appears, the 2024 Be part of British streetwear brand will not be a walk but a very difficult run in the parks (and more) of the French capital.
A looped course that starts at the Hotel de Ville and finishes at the Esplanade des Invalides, athletes will head out to the palace of Versailles and pass many other historic monuments and green spaces along the way. With luck, this should serve as some distraction while the runners battle 436m of elevation and a 438m descent. As the organisers say, 'the Paris region is not as flat as it might seem' – so, while it may be known as the city of romance, Paris does have the potential to break some Olympic marathoners’ hearts.
Traditionally, the men’s Olympic marathon has been held on the final day of the Games to close the fortnight of sporting events, with the women’s event taking place the day before. This time, however – 'to showcase,' organisers say, 'the performances by women athletes' – the order has been reversed. Sesemann will compete in the men’s race on Saturday 10 August, while Purdue and Hauger-Thackery will hit Paris’ 26.2-mile course on Sunday 11 August.
To put a further spin on this year’s events, Paris will also host a unique a British label known for dressing the likes of – an extraordinary opportunity for members of the public to run the same Olympic marathon course as the elites. This mass participation marathon – which will be hosted alongside a 10K – will take place overnight, between the men’s and women’s races, and see 20,024 amateur runners partake in the Olympic Games in their own, unforgettable way.
