A woman who lost her job during the pandemic and took up running during lockdown is now set to compete at the Paris Olympics, with her astonishing marathon time of 2 hours and 23 minutes.
Rose Harvey, 31, from Clapham, south London, barely had time for sporting activities in her life as she devoted most of her time to her busy job as a financial lawyer, which often saw her working into the early hours of the morning, especially at weekends.
The lawyer by training had already run a sub-three-hour marathon in 2017 and clearly had a natural talent for the sport; however, as the hours of work piled up, she was unable to keep up her pace.
She occasionally ran from home to the office and joined a local netball team in her 20s (where she made it to the B team), but in 2020, when lockdown hit and the economy ground to a halt, Rose decided to take up running and signed up for a half Ironman challenge to keep busy.
Four years later, Rose is heading to Paris to represent Team GB in the marathon race and is aiming to win gold.
Rose Harvey, 31, from Clapham in south London, will compete at the Paris 2025 Olympics after starting her running career during lockdown.
After qualifying for the 2024 Olympics, Rose posted on Instagram: ‘Four years ago, I was working full-time in corporate law and mostly just running to and from the office. I enjoyed my job, but it was very intense and long hours.
‘So the obstacle created by the Covid pandemic ended up redesigning my future: like many others, I was left without a job during the lockdown and, having a lot of free time at home, I needed a good lockdown project.’
Speaking to Team GBRose added that lockdown had been a “major change of pace” for her.
Rose, pictured after a training session, worked so many hours as a financial lawyer that she barely had time to exercise.
Rose competed for Team Great Britain in Oregon in 2022 and spoke of her pride in being able to represent her country.
Rose and her fiancé Charlie (pictured) travel the world while she trains, and their adorable dog comes along for the ride too.
“I went from working all day to literally having nothing to do, all this time at home, and I realized that work had become my entire life,” she said.
“It pushed me to do something pretty radical. I had this amazing opportunity and I wanted to do something cool with it.”
A coach, Phil Kissi, discovered Rose while she was training at Battersea Park. Impressed by her natural ability, he signed her and began training her. By the time she took part in the 2021 Cheshire Marathon, Rose had shaved a sensational 30 minutes off her personal best.
She said: “It became a challenge to see how far I could go. I saw progress very quickly and I was completely hooked.”
“I loved seeing what else I could do and I built it up week by week, month by month.”
As the world reopened and lockdowns eased, Rose continued running and in October 2023 qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after running the Chicago Marathon in two hours and 23 minutes.
She is currently a professional athlete, sponsored by Puma, and competes full-time.
In her personal life, she lives with her fiancé Charlie Thuillier, who is her manager and accompanies her on various training and competition trips around the world.
On their eighth anniversary this month, the couple celebrated with a running session.
Charlie has revealed a glimpse into his life supporting Rose on Instagram, proudly filming her marathon attempts and even running alongside her for stretches of the races.
Rose and her fiancé Charlie recently celebrated their eighth anniversary together and, of course, marked the occasion with a run.
The athlete is already a professional and is sponsored by Puma
Last week he posted a clip of himself watching Rose at the Chicago Marathon last October.
She wrote: “What do fans of elite athletes feel? So nervous! I swear my heart rate is higher than Rose’s during her races.”
Following the same race, in which Rose set a personal best of 2:23:21, he posted a gushing tribute to his fiancée, revealing his pride.
“He has absolutely succeeded,” he proclaimed.
‘I managed to see Rose 9 times around the course, that’s why my voice trailed off at the end!’
He added: “I can’t wait to see what Rose and the team will achieve at the next race.”
Her first experience running for her country came in 2022 when she participated in a marathon in Oregon, USA.
The day before she hit the road, she posted a photo of herself in her Team GB gear on Instagram.
Rose wrote: “Tomorrow I will be able to run for my country on the world stage! You never know exactly what the outcome of a marathon will be, but I am sure I will make the most of every moment and give it my best shot.”
After four years of competitive racing, it seems the athlete has yet to fully grasp the dizzying heights Rose has managed to reach, and while her family is proud of her, she revealed they are also struggling to come to terms with her new career.
“I don’t have sporting genes and no one in my family is particularly interested in sport,” he said, adding that law careers have been “something generational” in his family.
“I worked hard to get here and ended up with a job in a big city that was very stable and predictable. Making the move to being a professional runner took a lot of explaining,” she joked.
Rose added that even now, as she looks forward to competing in Paris, her family still asks her when she will return to law.
However, they will no doubt be cheering her on in the women’s marathon on August 11, when she competes for glory representing Team GB.
