Britain’s Charlotte Purdue and Canada’s Tristan Woodfine look to bounce back after Tokyo Olympic snubs

© Copyright – 2021 – Athletics Illustrated

Charlotte Purdue is ready to compete at the London Marathon on Sunday and to put the Tokyo Olympic snub by British Athletics behind her.

The 30-year-old was the second-fastest British marathon runner during the Tokyo Olympic qualifying window. Her best is 2:25:38 from the 2019 running of the London Marathon. However, was told not to race in 2020, due to a suspected stress reaction in her femur.

Apparently, British Athletics (BA) staff had said during an appeal she made that Purdue was only training 30-minutes at a time. However, her coach, Nic Bideau, notified BA one week in advance of selection that she was back running more than 80-miles (130-plus kms) per week.

“I did everything that they asked me to do including six weeks of rehab, which I wouldn’t have normally done.”

Purdue explained in an interview with Athletics Illustrated that “the latest imaging of the femur shows that I am fully recovered.”

She is the third-fastest English marathon runner behind Mara Yamauchi and former world record holder Paula Radcliffe.

Purdue’s latest personal best happened at the 2020 Marugame Half Marathon, where she clocked a 1:08:23 performance, good enough for 2:22 or 2:23 marathon says her coach Nic Bideau.

At this time, the weather forecast looks favorable with a low of 11 and a high of 16 degrees Celsius with a mix of sun and cloud. Last year’s event was windy, cold, and had periods of heavy rain.

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Canada’s Tristan Woodfine ran his marathon personal best in 2020 in London. He clocked a time of 2:10:51 and was the first Canadian. Fellow Canadian, Cameron Levins, who ended up qualifying at the 11th hour, dropped out of London. So, in terms of head-to-head competition, he, in theory, was in the mix to run the Tokyo Olympic Marathon in Sapporo, Japan.

Athletics Canada’s marathon selection team named him as an alternate.

Woodfine wondered how he was not nominated and appealed but the nomination was upheld.

According to the four-page appeal document, the NTC’s decision was based on incomplete information, contradictory reasoning, and use of results outside of the qualifying window as well as shorter distance events. “AC didn’t present complete information on Tristan Woodfine’s history or performance progression, and they ignored and/or minimized information that was critical to Woodfine’s case,” the document reads.

Athletics Canada Commissioner Frank Fowlie rejected the appeal. He wrote, “In my review of the materials, I have seen no evidence of a conflict of interest, bias or improper consideration or ignorance of information by the NTC. Thus, the issue I am primarily concerned with is whether the selection process was followed, was fair and whether the decision is reasonable.”

Watch Purdue and Woodfine, run hard to redeem themselves on Sunday on the traditional London route.

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Read her 2019 interview with Athletics Illustrated here>>

Watch her 2021 video interview with Athletics Illustrated here>>