For Gemma Hockett, anything is possible if you put your mind to it – and that’s exactly what she did when she targeted a sub-three- hour marathon
PHOTO: EDDIE MA CDONALD WORDS: ELIZABETH HUFTON
Looking at our cover star Gemma Hockett – the image of a serious runner, with her lean, training-sculpted physique, ever-present sports watch and compression socks – it’s hard to picture her crossing the finish line of a 10K dressed as Father Christmas, chuffed to bits to have made it around the course in an hour. Yet Gemma has made the journey from first-time 10K runner to sub-three-hour marathoner, wiping an hour off her marathon time in a few short years, to become one of a select group of British women whose marathon times start with a two. Sounds impossible? Gemma’s message is clear: “I really believe anyone can do this. If you want it enough, you’ll find a way.”
Like so many of us, Gemma’s sporting history has had ups and downs. At school, she was a good sprinter, reaching the county championships, but as she reached her late teens and other girls became bigger and stronger, Gemma decided it wasn’t for her. Fast forward to her 20s, and she was living in London, working long hours in the financial sector. Her running days were behind her until, one day, an initiative by her employer to improve staff fitness levels found Gemma in the gym being coerced to run 5K on the treadmill. “I got to about 4K, and I was like, ‘Oh my god – I can’t run 5K!’,” says Gemma. “This gym was heaving with people who looked way more out of shape than I was, and it was a bit of a wake-up call.”
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