British elite press conference

Ahead of the 45th edition of the London Marathon, British athletes Rose Harvey, Mahamed Mahamed, Eilish McColgan, Phil Sesemann and Alex Yee talk about their hopes for Marathon Day.

She represented Great Britain at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games marathon, where she broke her leg. Despite this setback, she carried on to cross the Finish Line.  

On her build-up to the 2025 TCS London Marathon: 
 
“It’s been a great block of training. I’m very lucky that, with a lot of help from my team, I’ve had a very smooth comeback. I had a bit of time off after Paris, and this year has been really good. I’ve really enjoyed getting back training and building up for London; it’s really exciting to be here.” 

On returning from injury in 2024: 

“I think all athletes go through setbacks – it’s an occupational hazard of what we do – and through that we get very good at using the opportunities. For me, Paris was a bit of a hard reset, a time to work on weaknesses and make sure you come back stronger every time, so that’s how I’ve approached this block.  
 
“I’m really lucky that it’s been physically a very smooth process back. It makes you all the more grateful for just running and training and doing what we love, so for me it’s actually been a really positive experience, and I’ve really enjoyed this training block and working towards Sunday.”  

On her advice for participants on Sunday:  
 
“Just enjoy it. All the hard work is done. Race day should be a celebration of that. All the times when you didn’t want to go out training, all the soggy runs, all the early mornings – this is the fun part, so don’t forget to enjoy it, and when it gets hard, just smile!”  

On the growing popularity of running: 

“Running is just booming, and it’s so cool to see – every year more and more people are taking up running. For me, I really got into structured training over Covid and I think that’s when a lot of people picked up their running trainers and got into it too, but over the last 12 months it’s exploded.  
 
“I train in Battersea Park and it’s been like getting onto the M25 trying to train there. Either go at 7am or don’t even try. It’s amazing to see so many people getting out there, training for events, challenging themselves – it’s fantastic.” 

The run earned him a place in the Great Britain team for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games marathon, where he finished in 57th place. 
 
On his 2025 TCS London Marathon build-up: 
 
“I’m very excited to be back; I’m really happy and I’m in a really good position. About 18 months ago, I decided to do the marathon and it’s working, I’m in a good place and I’m all set to go.”  

On his fourth-place finish at the 2024 TCS London Marathon:  
 
“The noise down the finishing straight last year is hard to explain: it was amazing, it was really loud and it pushed me a lot and gave me extra motivation to finish strong. The crowds were incredible.” 

On his journey into running: 

“Watching the London Marathon inspired me to jog around the park and do my first parkrun in 2012. The park was two minutes from where I used to live, and I did 19:23 at that first event, so once I’d done that, I thought I’d keep trying, but I never imagined I’d be here one day.” 

On returning from injury in 2024: 
 
“After Paris it was up and down, I took a reset and had some time off and I’ve worked hard to be back in a good position and a good place. I have a really good team around me, so we worked out what we wanted to do, and the [2025] London Marathon was a good choice for us, so mentally and physically I’m in better shape than I was last year.”  

A four-time Olympian, she is the British record holder for 10K (30:00) and 10 miles (50:43). She had the moment of her career at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where she matched the achievement of her mum, Liz, in winning the 10,000m title. She’ll make her marathon debut at the 2025 TCS London Marathon.  
 
On her earliest London Marathon memories: 

“My first memories of the London Marathon are probably sitting in the hospitality tent eating all the free food and looking at a tiny TV screen, not really understanding that my mum was in the London Marathon.  

“At age six, you have no idea how big this event is. Over the years, I watched Paula [Radcliffe] win it on TV, and that’s probably when it sunk into my head how big the London Marathon is and how incredible it is to be part of this.  
 
“I never, ever believed I’d be on the Start Line of the elite field, I thought I’d one day do it with the masses and do it for fun, so it feels very surreal to be sitting here now at the elite press conference and being on the elite Start Line on Sunday. It’s very scary!”  

On her 2025 TCS London Marathon build-up: 

“I’ve actually quite liked the taper – the tapering down hasn’t been too bad 

because I’m not someone who does super high mileage, so there’s not been a huge amount of change. Obviously less than what I had been doing, but not a huge jump that maybe other people would have if they’re running 100+ miles per week and then they come down to about 30. 

“For me, the biggest thing was making it to the Start Line. I had a very different experience in 2023, so the last couple of sessions I’ve been doing this year, I’ve felt a lot of nerves about something going wrong, so I don’t want to overdo it, or pick up some sort of niggle, or get sick. There’s definitely a heightened sense of wanting to be on the Start Line this year. London is a bucket-list event for me and having gone through all of the training in 2023 and not quite making it, I’m proud to be here now because it’s been a tough journey to get here.” 

On taking part in the Mini London Marathon: 

“I never would have believed, when I was running the Mini London Marathon, that I’d be here today at the proper big London Marathon! Taking the trip from Scotland to the Mini London Marathon was a huge event. We took the bus the whole way down and it was just chaos, so many kids from Scotland on a bus, getting down to London for the weekend.   
 
“I’d never been to London without my parents before. We stayed in what I remember as a Hogwarts-looking building, but I’m pretty sure it was just student accommodation. At the time it was mad; I loved it. I wasn’t in the top five or so the first time, but I improved the second time I ran it.  
 
“Just being part of the whole weekend, and watching the elites run, was insane. I remember thinking: ‘Wow, I’ll never be at that level to compete on the big stage.’ It’s a huge pathway for a lot of youngsters. It’s a big stepping stone. You feel really important in the Mini London Marathon and I think it sets you up to dream big, so it was a really important event for me.” 

On the recent running boom: 

“I was back home in Scotland the other week and I went out for a run. I came back to my partner, Michael, and said: ‘There are millions of people running out there, what is this?!’  
 
“I was passing people of all ages; some people were tearing along the road as well, all abilities, it didn’t matter about the weather or the conditions, people were just getting out, being active, enjoying it, and also doing it in a group setting.  
 
“There were some people on their own, but a lot of people were partnering up and running with their pals. That’s the amazing thing about our sport: it’s such a social sport and it’s the easiest sport to do. Get a pair of trainers and get out the door. You don’t have to buy a gym membership; you don’t even have to be part of a club if you don’t want to be.  
 
“It’s very individual and everyone has their own person bests. If you’re running a marathon and you’re trying to run six hours, or you’re trying to run three hours, you’re all doing the same thing. I think having your own PB is probably what draws a lot of people to it. It’s not just the elite side of sport and I think that’s what’s so amazing about running and why there has been such a boom over the last couple of years.” 

Since then he has chipped away at his PB and recorded two further top 10 finishes at the London Marathon (2022 and 2023).  

On whether his training has differed this year to his previous blocks for London:  

“It is a little bit more similar to my first marathon build, no training camps, no altitude, just been in Leeds running up and down the canal. I’ve really enjoyed that, it has been a bit of a buzz in Leeds with quite a lot of the club mates doing London as well, so ample training partners and I have really loved it.”  

On his consistency training for marathons and reaching the Start Lines:  

“I am proud that every marathon I intended to do I have been on that Start Line, and I feel, bar the Paris Olympics last year, I have progressed in my performances of each marathon whether that be time or just at a championship race where the times aren’t as quick but still competing well. Each build does build to the next one and you’ve got to have on eye looking at what you’re doing next.   

“That’s allowed me to make big jumps in performance each time; being able to lay down years and years of really high mileage averages and training load is definitely what I think is the key to my success and hopefully there is still more to come.” 

His advice for first-time marathoners:  

“Just the simple stuff, don’t do anything new on Event Day, just make sure you’re enjoying it while you’re out there and think about all the training you’ve done.”  

On his memories of the Mini London Marathon:  

“I am fairly sure I missed a school weekend away to go for the Mini London Marathon, I was pretty serious about it when I was 14. The biggest memory was doing the warm-up in a 10-metre-by-10-metre box! I would stay behind after the Mini and watch the elites come through and that was always really special. Thinking there was no way I would be a part of that then 15 years later here I am, so it is pretty exciting.”  

On the growing popularity of running:  

“There definitely is [more people running in Leeds], so don’t encourage them too much, it is getting a little bit busy down there! You definitely feel there is a bit of a hype at the moment around running, there are events up and down the country that are motivating people, this one [the TCS London Marathon] being the pinnacle of that. It definitely brings that motivation for people; you can definitely feel it when you’re outside.  

The Londoner’s decision to switch disciplines, for now at least, to make his marathon debut on his home streets has generated huge interest.  

On training for the TCS London Marathon: 

“I’ve definitely enjoyed the training. A little bit of a change post-Olympics and post a really good year in 2024 has been something that I have encouraged and has allowed me to kind of improve in a slightly different way. It’s been really cool as part of such a big running community at the moment to immerse myself as much as possible and to try and get better in a slightly different way.   

“It feels like I’ve taken a wrong turn to get in here! It’s pretty surreal. It’s been a bucket-list event for me to do at some point, I didn’t think it would be as an elite, so I am pleased to be here.   

“The bike and goggles have been left at home. I’ve already been complaining that I’ve packed too much, so I couldn’t bring my bike as well. 

“The main thing people have said to me is make sure the first one is a good experience because then you are going to keep coming back and getting better and all those incremental things. To see people like Phil [Sesemann] on his eighth marathon, to start breaking down barriers for us British runners has been really exciting. Maybe in the future I would like to be able to do my eighth marathon.” 

On the emotion of running in his home city:  

“I ran about 30K over the course as a recce a few weeks ago. I stood on where the Start Line will be and I tried to comprehend how I would feel, and the emotion and I couldn’t do it. I don’t think there is anything but doing it that would stimulate that kind of emotion.   

“The Start Line is 2.5K from where I was born and grew up and that is really special. I’m going to use the emotions to in as effective way as possible to get me get to the Finish Line, and use those people to be that extra little push behind me and the difference at 30K when everyone says the race starts.”  

On starting a YouTube channel:  

“I think it is really hard to show a personality as an athlete. The way we race is an expression and we also have a two-minute interview after the race where people get an idea of who we are and what we do. And often that can be an accurate reflection but sometimes it isn’t the full picture. I felt that urgency after Paris when people were more excited about what is going on.   

“Also, this being a totally unique journey and something a bit different, I could share that with people who could probably relate to me. I put elites on a pedestal and thought I would never be able to achieve what they achieved initially, and I want people to realise we are just normal people. We make mistakes, we get sick at times, we have bad sessions, we eat McDonald’s.”   

On his next competition:  

“I still feel like I’ve got so much left to give to triathlon. Paris [2024 Olympics] was an amazing experience, but I don’t feel like I left the course feeling like I had the perfect race. I feel like I would love to give that chance to myself to be able to do that again in LA [2028 Olympics]. This has been such an enjoyable exploration that I don’t think it will be my last marathon build. Whatever that means, we will see but at the moment I am really excited and motivated to keep doing triathlons.”  

On his memories of the Mini London Marathon:  

“I remember getting the book and you’d see your name and year and wanting to be in it each year. It was a very special part of my year each year and has set up moments like this [running the London Marathon], not expecting to be an elite athlete but for it to become a bucket-list event. To realise the effect it has on London as a city and the running culture, it is pretty cool to be a part of.”  

On the growing popularity of running:  

“People care more about their health now and as a result I think people are spending less time in the bar and more on the roads. You feel amazing after running and it’s really cool to be part of that.”