If the marathon isn’t a heptathlon occasion, why is American Olympic heptathlete Chari Hawkins making her marathon debut in London on Sunday?
The 33-year-old multis athlete usually sticks to leaping, sprinting and throwing–and in competitors, her longest race is simply 800m. But on April 27, Hawkins will tackle a really unfamiliar problem: toeing the road on the 2025 London Marathon, an occasion practically 53 occasions farther than her typical race. “Formally obtained my bib at this time!” she shared on Instagram. “You already know what which means–I really am actually doing it.”
“That is the primary time I’ll be capable of present up and put my physique to the check, however not likely fear a few time,” she stated in a pre-race interview. “I’ve at all times needed to search for a particular place, search for a spot on a workforce or a time.”
Final yr, Hawkins competed on the World Indoor Championships within the pentathlon, and later certified for her first Olympic workforce, headed for Paris that August.
A yr in the past, Hawkins’ farthest-ever consecutive run had been 3.2 km. “Now, right here I’m, simply ending a 20-mile exercise, leaving for Florida to run a 10-mile race, all to gear up for working the London Marathon,” Hawkins posted.
On April 5, on the runDisney Springtime Shock Weekend 10-Miler in Bay Lake, Fla., the Rexburg, Idaho native accomplished her first-ever street race, masking 16K in 1:36:25–whereas carrying a tutu.
@_charihawkinsAltitude coaching in a WINTER WONDERLAND!❄️ Preparing for the LONDON MARATHON this April! 🏃🏼♀️ I’m so excited to see what my thoughts and physique could make occur! What do you suppose my time will probably be? 😅♬ Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!(Edit) – Scotty & Wilcox
Hawkins started her marathon construct in January, launching her 16-week block into race day. She’s additionally documented her progress as a content material creator, sharing coaching updates along with her 1.1 million Instagram and 860,000 TikTok followers.
Often providing tips about working approach, pace, power and restoration, Hawkins has turned the tables–this time, she’s the one asking for assist. “Turning a sprinter, jumper, and thrower into an extended distance runner,” she captioned a submit. “Please inform me your whole suggestions, your whole recommendation, and for all of you who perceive what I’m about to aim, please ship your phrases of encouragement.”
watch:
The 2025 London Marathon will probably be streamed on FloTrack and the FloSports app. The elite wheelchair race begins at 3:50 a.m. ET on April 27, adopted by the elite girls’s race at 4:05 a.m. ET and the elite males and mass begin at 4:35 a.m. ET.