The British runner clocked 2:51:03 in Paris on Sunday before discovering she had a stress fracture.
Rose Harvey completed the Olympic marathon in Paris despite limping through the 26.2 miles with a stress fracture in her hip.
The 31-year-old was wheeled off the finish line after finishing 78th, winning the race. By Sifan Hasan from Holland 2:22:55.
“It was far from the Olympics I dreamed of, but it was still the experience of a lifetime,” Harvey said.
“I was so excited to get on that stage, to show that I had what it takes to be part of Team GB and most importantly to make everyone who helped me get to this point proud. And it looked so good just a few weeks ago. The workouts have been stellar. Then I got a little stretch in my thigh.”
He added: “My incredible team and I have put in so much work to get the start line fit and healthy and we were all optimistic that with a bit of race day adrenaline I would be able to run the race I knew I had in me. .
Rose Harvey (Getty)
“After a few miles I quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen. The next 24 miles were a painful battle. It turns out that my stress broke my hip.”
Teammate Charlotte Perdue had already withdrawn from the team on the eve of the Games and was replaced by Clara Evans, who finished 46th in 2:33:01. AW: Spoke to Evans in the end zone and waited for Harvey to come out, but he was immediately taken to medical attention and bypassed any interviews. Callie Hauger-Tuckery, the third member of the GB women’s marathon team, dropped out mid-race.
READ MORE. Clara Evans rises to the challenge after being called up at the last minute
“In any other race I would have stopped and there were many moments when I thought I couldn’t make another move,” he added. “The landings were hell. But even though most of my racing goals were gone, there was still a small piece of my Olympic dream that I could hang on to, and that was finishing the Olympic marathon.
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“I couldn’t give up. I kept telling myself to smile, soak up the energy of the incredible crowd and just put one foot in front of the other.
“It was heartbreaking. But being a part of the Olympics is something I’ll never forget, and being able to share the race with so many of my wonderful friends and family meant the world to me.”
Harvey was selected after running 2:23:21 in Chicago last year.
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