ROSE Harvey has revealed she completed the marathon race at this year’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games with a broken leg.
The Team GB marathon runner from Evesham sustained a stress fracture in her femur but refused to give up and completed the race.
The 31-year-old is now on crutches after showing remarkable determination to finish the race. She eventually crossed the line in 78th place of 81 finishers in 2 hours 51 minutes and 3 seconds with 11 other athletes unable to complete the course.
Harvey posted on Instagram: “This was far from the Olympics I dreamed of, but still an experience of a lifetime.
“I was so excited to step on that stage, show that I had what it takes to be part of Team GB and most importantly, do everyone proud who has helped me get to this point.
“And just a couple of weeks ago, it was looking so good. Training had been stellar. Then I developed a bit of tightness in my hip.
“My incredible team and I put in so much work to make 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.
“A couple of miles in, I quickly realised that wasn’t going to happen. The next 24 miles were a painful battle. It turns out I had stress fractured my femur.
“In any other race, I would have stopped and there were so many moments when I thought I couldn’t take another step. The downhills were hell but despite that, most of my race goals having slipped away, there was still a tiny part of my Olympic dream that I could hang onto – and that was finishing the Olympic marathon.
“I couldn’t give up. I kept telling myself to smile, soak up the energy of the incredible crowds and just put one foot in front of the other.
“It was heartbreaking but being part of the Olympics is something I’ll never forget and being able to share the race with so many of my amazing friends and family meant the world to me.
“I can’t thank my team enough for getting me to this point – becoming an Olympian.
“It’s been a wild ride and I’m grateful for it all. This is just another chapter in the story.”
