If the marathon isn’t a heptathlon event, why is American Olympic heptathlete Chari Hawkins making her marathon debut in London on Sunday?
The 33-year-old multis athlete typically sticks to jumping, sprinting and throwing–and in competition, her longest race is just 800m. Yet on April 27, Hawkins will take on a very unfamiliar challenge: toeing the line at the 2025 London Marathon, an event nearly 53 times farther than her usual race. “Officially got my bib today!” she shared on Instagram. “You know what that means–I actually am really doing it.”
“This is the first time I’ll be able to show up and put my body to the test, but not really worry about a time,” she said in a pre-race interview. “I’ve always had to look for a specific place, look for a place on a team or a time.”
Last year, Hawkins competed at the World Indoor Championships in the pentathlon, and later qualified for her first Olympic team, headed for Paris that August.
A year ago, Hawkins’ farthest-ever consecutive run had been 3.2 km. “Now, here I am, just finishing a 20-mile workout, leaving for Florida to run a 10-mile race, all to gear up for running the London Marathon,” Hawkins posted.
On April 5, at the runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend 10-Miler in Bay Lake, Fla., the Rexburg, Idaho native completed her first-ever road race, covering 16K in 1:36:25–while wearing a tutu.
@_charihawkinsAltitude training in a WINTER WONDERLAND!❄️ Getting ready for the LONDON MARATHON this April! 🏃🏼♀️ I’m so excited to see what my mind and body can make happen! What do you think my time will be? 😅♬ Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!(Edit) – Scotty & Wilcox
Hawkins began her marathon build in January, launching her 16-week block into race day. She’s also documented her progress as a content creator, sharing training updates with her 1.1 million Instagram and 860,000 TikTok followers.
Usually offering tips on running technique, speed, strength and recovery, Hawkins has turned the tables–this time, she’s the one asking for help. “Turning a sprinter, jumper, and thrower into a long distance runner,” she captioned a post. “Please tell me all of your tips, all of your advice, and for all of you who understand what I’m about to attempt, please send your words of encouragement.”
How to watch:
The 2025 London Marathon will be streamed on FloTrack and the FloSports app. The elite wheelchair race begins at 3:50 a.m. ET on April 27, followed by the elite women’s race at 4:05 a.m. ET and the elite men and mass start at 4:35 a.m. ET.
