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 that must come before.
This is certainly the case for British athletes Charlotte Purdue, Calli Hauger-Thackery, Rose Harvey, Phil Sesemann, Emile Cairess and Mahamed Mahamed, 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 six athletes will compete at an Olympic Games, having each met their respective qualifying marks with electric performances at other official marathons over the past seven months.
Who is running the marathon for Team GB?
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 selection in New York
While you might think that you’re seeing double, Calli Hauger-Thackery also ran a 2:22:17 – the same time as Purdue – to guarantee her place as a 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?
Rose Harvey shines in Chicago
Formerly a full-time lawyer, Rose Harvey's rise to Olympic selection is all the more remarkable. Although she had always been an accomplished club runner, it wasn't until she was made redundant during the pandemic that Harvey decided to dedicate her attention to running – and it's certainly paid off now. With three sub-2:30 marathons already under her belt, and as the first British woman home at the 2022 London Marathon, she then went on to run a PB of 2:23:21 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, which guaranteed her selection for Team GB this year.
Sesemann secures success in Seville
In February this year, 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 then-third-fastest British male marathoner 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.
Emile Cairess cruises to selection in London
Thanks to his sublime performance at the 2024 London Marathon, Emile Cairess has comfortably secured his place on Team GB's men's marathon squad. A training partner of fellow future Olympian Sesemann, Cairess clocked a sizeable PB of 2:06:46 in London this year, falling well within the Olympic qualifying mark of 2:08:10 on what was only his second ever shot at the 26.2-mile distance. Now the second-fastest British male marathoner of all time with this result, it's somewhat surprising that Cairess wasn't selected for Paris earlier, as he'd already run the 2023 London Marathon in a valid time of 2:08:07.
Mahamed Mahamed makes the mark on The Mall
Cairess wasn't the only one to reap the reward of Olympic selection at the London Marathon this year – Mahamed Mahamed, too, booked his ticket to Paris at this historic race on home soil. Storming through the course in a time of 2:07:05, the now third-fastest British marathon runner was 'over the moon' to have run more than a minute within the Olympic qualifying time, his selection for Team GB being set in stone a week later. Mahamed, 26, has only run two marathons so far – but if his recent result in London is anything to go by, he's only at the start of a fruitful career in this distance.
What is the Olympic marathon route in Paris?
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 the 2024 route plotted for Paris will present its own difficulties.
A looped course that starts at the Hotel de Ville and finishes at the Esplanade des Invalides, it will takes athletes 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. As the organisers say, 'The Paris region is not as flat as it might seem.'
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 the performances by women athletes,' say organisers – the order has been reversed. Sesemann, Cairess and Mahamed will compete in the men’s race on Saturday 10 August, while Purdue, Hauger-Thackery and Harvey will race on Sunday 11 August.
To put a further spin on this year’s events, Paris will also host a unique Marathon Pour Tous – 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.
How and where can I watch the Olympic marathon?
If you’ll be in the UK, you can catch the men’s and women’s marathons on BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer, both online and on TV, along with coverage of other Olympic events.
If you’d rather be in amongst it in Paris, though, you’ll find a top-tier viewing option at Clubhouse 24. Located inside the iconic Palais de Tokyo – in the heart of the city centre and just across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower – Clubhouse 24 is set to feature multiple large screens that will display the Olympic marathons in full, offering 8,000 people a day the best uninterrupted coverage of the 26.2-mile battles. To enhance the marathon activities, inside the venue there will also be plenty of live talks and entertainment, athlete and special guest appearances and interactive sporting activities – both physical and virtual – for guests all ages. And, since marathon spectating is hungry work, Clubhouse 24 will offer Parisian-inspired cuisine at the Food Court, too.
On Location, the official hospitality provider for the Paris Games, is offering packages that give marathon fans unique access to the Clubhouse 24 experience. Starting at €145.00 per person (excluding tax), Clubhouse 24 packages are available to purchase here.
You can search for more Olympic hospitality experiences – including tickets to see the athletics inside the Stade de France – here.
