Connor BlandDuring the 2023 London Marathon, gold medallist Olympian Sifan Hassan ran possibly one of the most impressive runs in the marathon’s rich history finishing first in the women’s category with a time of 2:18:33.
Finishing first was impressive but there was much more to it than this. Firstly this was Hassan’s first ever competitive race at this distance, she is a gold medallist in 5000 metres and 10,000 metres but to compete and come in as first female at a distance of 4 times her usual discipline is incredible.
Maybe even more impressive is that during the race Hassan had to stop multiple times to stretch due to having cramp but despite this battled on to claim victory inspiring a new generation of runners but maybe also a past generation?
After the race I spoke to former long distance runner Emilie Cotton about Hassan’s amazing run and her own athletics career.
“Was amazed at Hassan’s performance throughout”
Q: When did you start running?
R: I started running around 12/13 years old and have run for many running clubs such as Heanor Running Club and Smalley Road Runners.
Q: Do you still run?
R: I don’t run anymore as I had an injury at 17 that resulted in me having to go to the hospital and have physio for 6 months. When I was fit and able to run again it was lock down and I lost my motivation particularly as I had no upcoming races to train for.
Q: What was your greatest achievement?
R: My greatest achievement was completing my first 10k with my Dad at East Midlands Airport when I was 14 years old (and you had to be 15 to enter!). I got a really good time and was so proud of myself.
Q: Did you see Sifan hassan Performance at the London marathon?
R: I did watch the London Marathon and was amazed at Hassan’s performance throughout, despite her having cramp and having to stop a few times and also missing her water bottle and having to go back for it, she still managed to win the woman’s race as well as complete her first official marathon.
Q: Has it inspired you to start running again?
R: I currently am a member of a local gym and definitely feel more motivated especially using the weights and different exercise machines but seeing the determination in Hassan to not only win but to win despite all of the difficulties she faced in the race has definitely encouraged me to get back into running alongside my workouts at the gym.
Taking inspiration from Hassan and Emilie I tried something a bit different for a journalist and attempted to beat the Olympic champion…
@aulanewsuao Am I quicker than an Olympic champion? #aulanews #londonmarathon ♬ original sound – aulanewsuao
