The 24-year-old talks about some big and very personal decisions, from leaving track and cross-country behind, to embarking on a marathon career, to switching allegiances from the UK to the US.
It was a time of change for Charles Hicks. Just 12 months ago, he was making final preparations to compete in his first ever motor race, a significant departure for an athlete who had been busy competing in cross-country and drag racing.
But this was not a sudden dive into the deep end. The idea of becoming a marathon runner had already formed in his mind, so when his coach Jerry Schumacher brought up the same idea, the decision was made to hit the road, and months of preparation began.
In her first foray on the asphalt, Hicks impressed at the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler in Washington, D.C., an event that doubles as the U.S. championships at the distance. Her victory clinched the national title, but her dual citizenship with Great Britain meant her time of 45:14 would not stand as a US record. That honor went to runner-up Alex Mayer, whose 45:15 just edged Conner Mantz’s previous mark of 45:16.
But more change is in the air. Hicks will be eligible to compete for the US in mid-July. The 24-year-old was born in London and lived in Fulham for the first 12 years of his life before moving to the States with his family.
His international career has so far been played in a British jersey, winning two European Under-23 titles and 5000m gold at the 2023 European Under-23 Championships. But, since the second half of his life has lived in the United States, and when his country of residence is unlikely to change soon, he admits: It seemed like the right call, and if he fulfills his Olympic dream of competing in the Los Angeles Games in 2028, he will do so for the hosts.
He will certainly have plenty of support later this month when he runs the Boston Marathon for the first time, his second outing over 26.2 miles after finishing seventh in New York last November in 2:09:59. It defies conventional wisdom that someone so young would commit to a run, but then the marathon rulebook gets rewritten more and more every year.
“People, especially outside of the U.S. and the NCAA system, don’t usually try to do marathons as aggressively as we do,” the Stanford graduate says as he speaks to AW via video call from his base in Oregon, sitting on a workbench encased in an altitude tent, “which is usually set in the 1,000 to 1,020, 10.0-foot range.”
“But the cool thing is that you see a lot of guys trying to make this transition earlier than before, and that can lead to some really exciting performances because people find out (that the marathon) just physically wears you out.”
Hicks could have added the words “more” at the end of that sentence. Having a look at
in the past and seen the tools once used in the marathon trade, it is the rapid advancement of technology that he sees playing an important role in the event attracting a younger competitive audience.
“My personal conspiracy theory, and I don’t know if this is controversial or not, but I think it has a lot to do with shoes,” he adds. “One thing I’ve seen while in the Nike archives is that the shoes people used to run marathons in are terrible.
“I felt like I was in a medieval torture museum, looking at things of terror and destruction. I understand why you don’t put a 23, 24 year old and make them run 26 miles because I don’t think that developing body is going to do well.
“But now we’re so isolated from the marathon strike force. I can still barely walk behind me, but you get a lot of energy from these shoes, and I think it’s less of a destructive force than before. It allows people to take more risks, maybe train a little harder and compete a little without being so aggressive.
much destruction.’
That doesn’t mean Hicks will approach this next marathon task throwing caution to the wind entirely. He maintains a healthy respect for distance, and that New York debut proved to be an exercise in self-restraint.
“There was a big shift halfway through and, looking back, I’m not sure if going with it would have put me a few points higher or 50 points worse.” he says “At that moment I decided. “I run really well. I feel really strong. There’s still 13 miles to go and I think there’s a lot of unknowns, so why don’t we play it safe, run the second chase and still get into the top 10.” Running conservatively and making it work really well makes me excited for the possibilities.”
The plan, with each passing attempt, will be to loosen that leash a little.
“What I really want to do with every advanced marathon is to build a base and then push it out.
a small window, then be a little more aggressive each time,” adds Hicks. “I want to balance the risk I’m exposed to racing in New York, put a little risk tolerance into the model and start to figure out where my ceiling is.
Hicks is clearly an athlete who cares deeply about her sport, and it’s the idea of literally going on a road trip rather than hitting a track or cross-country course that appeals most to her at this new stage in her career. However, he sees this chapter as an extension of what he first learned and what he enjoyed most during his off-road adventures.
“What I loved about cross country was only more accessible on the roads,” he says. “What I really loved was racing, and competitive placement was a top priority in every race. I found this to be extremely true on the roads. Times are obviously important, there are races where you’re chasing records, but in every road race I’ve been to, placement has been the top priority and it’s been very scenic.
“And then the other one does the scouting, has all these new locations, finds the hilltops, figures out ‘because X,Y,Z, so I have to do this.’ It’s still on the track because there are tactics, but I felt like (on the roads) the track itself is almost like a character in each of these races. really, really enjoy it.”
All of the above is part of Hicks’ identity, something that underlies that very personal decision to switch national allegiances. Moving on to road racing, it was no fluke and the response, I’m happy to report, has been positive.
“I’m sure there are some British fans who are less than thrilled about it, but because the decision was so personal, I feel much more comfortable (and still would) even if the reaction was overwhelmingly negative,” he says. “I made a decision that was true to who I was and who I wanted to be.
“I was 24 when I made the decision and the reason I started thinking about it was because I moved from the UK to the US and I was 12 years old straight away. I had spent 50 percent of my life in the UK and then 50 percent of my life in the US. And I was saying: like?
“Maybe in college or before, I thought there was a chance I could go back (to the UK), reestablish roots, etc., but I think the reality of my life has set in now and seeing it so clearly can make me realize that the number is going to be more and more on the US.
“I think it gives more credence to some of the views that were perhaps more negatively skewed about whether or not I really embodied what it meant to be British. But I think when I made the decision (to compete for Britain) when I was 18, I felt much more British than an American at the time. young age
“In some ways, I think the truth of life is that you can never make decisions that make everyone happy, so you might as well make the decisions that you think are right.”
And so to Boston, that beast of a running and marathon challenge unlike any other. What lessons learned from New York does Hicks think he will take with him on this next venture to the East Coast?
“The main thing I’ve learned is that you have to kind of have a lower sense of urgency when you’re racing (a marathon),” he says. “When people make moves, you can think carefully before you react, whereas at 5,000m or 10,000m you’re working in milliseconds and you have to take more risks. I think I really benefit from an analytical approach, trying to make sure that when I’m reacting to things, there’s a justification behind it.
“Being a seasoned cross country runner put me in a good frame of mind going into the marathon. I think it is very easy to say. “I want to run faster, I want to place higher every race,” but the field will be completely different, the style of the marathon will be completely different.
“This is my chance to go out there, get as much experience as I can, race as hard as humanly possible, maybe be a little more aggressive than New York, start pushing those limits and see where they’re at.”
