Japan jackpot for Thommo

26th March 2021 • News

26th March 2021 – For all the reality shows currently in vogue, sport, and in particular the marathon, once again reminded us on Friday morning why it is and always will be the greatest reality show going.

Chris Thompson (GBR) capped a fairy tale week that started with he and his wife (former PACE athlete Jemma Simpson) welcoming their first child (son Theo) into the world and finished with him winning the British Olympic Marathon Trials and booking his ticket to Japan to represent Great Britain at his second Olympic Games.

The marathon can be incredibly cruel at times and Chris has certainly experienced the lows.  Months of preparation, hundreds of miles run, and countless hours of mental stress to try and get it all to come together at the right moment on the right day.  Often it doesn’t and an athlete is left wondering, even after all that effort, where did it go so wrong.

Just occasionally though, when all the stars align and all the ingredients are there in the perfect mix, it can give the greatest of rewards. With his performance around the grounds of Kew Gardens, Chris not only won the race, he won a lot of new fans and admirers as his journey is so relatable to so many.

Unusually this report is not going to describe much of the race.  Instead, the team here at PACE would encourage you to watch back the race footage and post-race interviews yourself.  The ‘atomic bomb of emotion’ that Chris experienced at the end was the greatest gift that he could give us just a few days after he and Jemma welcomed their own greatest gift. The swell of congratulations and well wishes for his performance also makes us very proud to represent such a find ambassador of the athletics fraternity.

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