Help Deena conquer Sydney

Deena Kastor is asking for support from the running community after winning a place in the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS.

The former London and Chicago Marathon winner completed her Six Star Journey in Berlin in 2022 but will compete in her seventh Major this August.

“I got confirmation that I am in the Sydney Marathon and I am so excited,” she told the latest episode of Marathon Talk.

“I need to get my butt in gear and make my miles faster. I’m really excited to see what this 52-year-old marathon body can do!”

It will be the first time she has returned to Sydney since taking part in the 2000 Olympics.

“Gosh it’s been 25 years,” she reflected. “I just had a moment. The year 2000, I made my first Olympic team in the 10,000 meters.

“This will be my first Marathon in Sydney. I’m really excited to get back there. Wayne Larden [Race Director] has done such a great job building that race up into a Major event.”

Fellow podcast host Martin Yelling hopes runners who have taken part in the Sydney Marathon will help the first-timer navigate her way around the stunning course on August 31.

“I would be nosey,” said Yelling. “I would have a beak around people’s Strava profiles from when they did it. I would be trying to get some insider knowledge.

“I would speak to people and hear their story. What you get back is ‘you’ve got to watch this turn point here, there’s a dead turn at this point, there’s a hill at that point, it was windy when I ran here’. Those bits of feedback are the insiders’ scoop.

“If you’ve run Sydney, let us know and we can collectively help Deena on her way.”

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