When you’re a runner with a time to beat, every second counts – and this is especially the case when you’re an ambitious elite shooting for a place on an Olympic start line.
For Phil Sesemann, six seconds made all the difference at this year's Seville Marathon (18 February). Clocking an outstanding PB of 2:08:04, the 31-year-old Brit scraped within the men’s marathon qualifying mark of 2:08:10 for the 2024 Paris Olympics, falling over the finish line in enigmatic fashion as he did so.
Not only did this result secure Sesemann's selection for the British Olympic marathon team headed for Paris in August, but so too did it thrust him to third on the all-time fastest list of British male marathon runners. As it stands, only Sir Mo Farah (2:05:11, 2018) and Steve Jones (2:07:13, 1985) have run 26.2 miles faster than Sesemann, both at the Chicago Marathon.
Sesemann took to social media to consolidate his accomplishment in Seville and thank the loved ones who helped him to attain it. 'It’s overwhelming just how much love and support I’ve felt during my marathon career. I poured everything into this and asked so much of others too.'
So, how did Sesemann become so successful at his sport?
Club runner roots
Having grown up as a member of Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC in South East London, Sesemann later moved to Yorkshire and joined Leeds City AC, for whom he still competes on the track, on the road and even on the mud, as year on year he still pulls on his club vest for back-to-basics cross-country meets. He also trains regularly with fellow elite and Leeds City AC athlete Emile Cairess, a 26-year-old with a near-identical marathon PB of 2:08:07, which he achieved in London in 2023. In the same race, Sesemann ran a then-PB of 2:10:23.
Consistent marathon gains
The 2023 London Marathon was Sesemann’s fourth stab at the marathon distance (and third journey from Greenwich to The Mall), with the 2021 London Marathon – where he was the first Brit home in a blistering time of 2:12:58 – marking his debut over 26.2 miles. Having clearly developed a taste for the marathon and a hunger to dip to 2:09-something or quicker, Sesemann followed up his 2023 performance in London with a 2:08:48 at the famously fast Valencia Marathon in December that year. Spain is clearly Sesemann’s spot, as his most recent Olympic-qualifying PB in Seville came next.
Miles with the mutts
Sesemann doesn’t just train with Cairess – or other humans, for that matter. He completes many of his runs with his two dogs, Kipchoge and Haile, a spaniel and Vizsla cross and German Shorthaired Pointer respectively. Together known as the Mileage Mutts, they are themselves established canine athletes who – as the name suggests – rack up some serious miles with their owner, as documented on Sesemann’s Instagram feed and their own Strava accounts.
With two faithful speedsters by his side, could Sesemann make cani-cross a regular addition to his running CV?
Shorter distance success
As with many athletes at the top of their game, 'meticulous' is part and parcel of Sesemann’s nature. While much of his time at present is spent training for marginal marathon gains, Sesemann is also a qualified medical doctor who still finds opportunities to fit in some shifts.
Sesemann is well versed in delivering top-level results across shorter running distances, too. Between 2010 and 2020, in fact, he specialised in track events ranging from the 800m to 5000m, before 2021 saw him step up to his first half marathon – The Big Half – which he completed in 62:47 in fourth position. He also holds enviable 5K (13:39) and 10K (28:24) PBs.
Perhaps most head-turning, however, was Sesemann’s 3,000m victory at the 2023 BMC Sheffield Grand Prix, where he outran Jake Wightman – the 1500m World Champion at the time.
His selection for the 2024 Paris Olympics was confirmed at the end of February, with Charlotte Purdue and Calli Hauger-Thackery also making the cut for Team GB's women's marathon team.
