Elle London Q&A

London marathon - 26.2 miles through our capital city,  thousands of runners and one unforgettable day!

Elle, having already secured her championship place, was also lucky enough to race as part of Puma’s project 3.

Project 3 is a one of a kind programme developed by Puma giving those sub-elite runners the opportunity to compete at the highest levels with the structure, resources and the belief of a global brand behind them.

And didn’t our girl do well! Elle delivered an incredible performance on the day. Here we chat to her about the day, her training and what it was like being a part of Puma’s project 3.

Congratulations!! A training block that started thousands of miles away while you were travelling through Australia and then South East Asia, ending on the mall in London as part of Puma Project 3 with a 2:46:53 marathon, a 73 second pb and breaking your own club marathon record in the process - how are you feeling??!!

Thank you! I’m feeling great and really happy with the result. I am easing back into running again and I can definitely tell that the marathon took a lot out of me (even a week and a half later, my heart rate is much higher than usual), so trying to be patient.

At your level of running a 73 second PB is pretty huge. What, if anything, do you think unlocked that performance? Did anything change going into this marathon block with your training or mindset?

Yes! A few things I think were important:

General consistency across months and years. Nothing flashy or unusual in training – just consistently stacking the weeks, months and marathon blocks over time. I think I’m now really seeing the benefit of sustained 50+ mile weeks over the last couple of years. It all compounds, even if you don’t see it immediately.

Fuelling! I did what you’re absolutely not supposed to do, and changed my gel strategy the week before London. Previously I have used High 5 gels (23g of carbs) every 5km but realistically I was probably getting less than 60g/hour once you factor in spillage and not finishing gels. This time I alternated between the SIS Beta gel (40g carbs) and a High 5 23g caffeine gel. It worked out around 75g of carbs an hour and honestly I felt fantastic in the last 10km – it was a game changer. That said, I have quite a strong stomach (and fast metabolism) – I’d recommend testing this properly before trying in a race.

A couple of other things such as sleeping a bit better in the build up and being less stressed with work compared to previous marathons  probably also helped too.

When I saw you on course running past the Tower of London you were making it look easy - you looked so strong! You finished 60th female overall in the mass race. Was there a moment in the race where you realised you were on for a pb?

I knew I was roughly on PB pace throughout, but I was just waiting for the wall to hit. It was only after passing  the Tower of London on the way to Embankment that I started to think that maybe, the wall wasn’t going to find me today.

In the last c.200m I realised that sub-2.47 was on, but it might be quite close – so instead of my usual finish line celebration, I had to properly sprint for it!

Your splits are impressive, it doesn’t look like you hit “the wall” at all. How were you feeling during the latter stages of the race, especially the last 10km and was this any different to previous marathons?

It actually felt very different to my previous marathons. I’ve done 7 now, and every single one has felt totally different physically and mentally. Each time, I tell myself I’ll run the first 20 miles sensibly and then see if I can ‘pick it up’ in the last few miles. Have I ever done that…? Absolutely not. In the last few miles I’m normally just trying to put one foot in front of the other and I can’t do anything more!

This time was unusual as I felt genuinely strong in the later stages, which was probably down to the increased gels. I think I managed to marginally pick up towards the end or at least maintain my pace – even then, I didn’t quite run a negative split

Any stand out moments from the race? What was your favourite part and how much did the crowds and atmosphere play a role?

The crowds were incredible, the best I have experienced. I ran London in 2023 (rain) and 2024 (wind), but the good weather this year brought everyone out. At one point I was running with an empty water bottle for ages because there was not a single gap in the crowd and I didn’t want to hit anyone when I threw it away!

Random moments I noticed / enjoyed this year:

-        A surreal WWF-themed section of road/park in the first half, where they were playing wildlife noises on the speaker – not sure if they do that every year, but I’ve never noticed it before?!

-        Passing the elite women running the other way towards Tower Bridge. I always enjoy this bit as I am a massive fan/ follower of the sport, I like to see who is in the lead pack, who the first Brit is, etc. I do wish I could have seen the first sub-2 in person.

-         Running with Where’s Wally around miles 15-20. He was going for a world record, but I looked it up after and unfortunately he just missed it. I did enjoy all the shouting for Wally though, that was fun. I thought maybe I could give that a crack one day – all you need is a stripy top, hat and glasses!

-        Embankment is my favourite part, around miles 24-25 – you know you’re going to finish at this point! Running along the Thames, under the trees, with all the crowds, Big Ben and the London Eye ahead, it just feel special. By then the runners have thinned out too, so you have space to take it all in and smile.

You were travelling at the start of this training block. Were you able to maintain consistency with your running or did you have to adapt?

I maintained a decent level of running but I had to adapt and accept that it was less than usual. I was also conscious that there’s more to life than running (shock!) and travelling was a major life experience that I didn’t want to compromise on.

How did you handle factors such as the weather, fuelling for your training, any jet lag, finding suitable places to train etc and did any of that worry you at all?

I had to slow down a lot due to the heat and humidity, as well as get up really early to run (I’m not a morning runner) to avoid the worst of it. I would also have to wash my running kit in the shower after each run!

It was often difficult to find safe running routes in SE Asia, so I went on the treadmill a lot.  I pretty much gave up on doing long runs as it took too much out of me, so I crammed those into the 4 weeks when I was back home! I tried not to worry too much, but it was a bit odd not knowing where my fitness was truly at.

I tried a few different gels out in Thailand and Vietnam – none of which I’d rush to buy again – but they did the job. 7Eleven was also excellent for post-run snacks.

Looking back, do you think the travel became an advantage in any way?

I’m sure it helped with adapting to warmer conditions. I ran a lot in the heat and humidity (i.e., 30 degrees C and 90% humidity), so when it was 16 degrees and sunny during the London marathon it felt pretty comfortable.  Going forward I’ll have to see if I can replicate that here somehow – I’ve spoken to some people who used saunas in the build up, which apparently works well.

Puma project 3 - for those that don’t know can you tell us a bit about it? How the opportunity came about, the criteria, the application process and how you felt when you were selected, etc?

Puma Project 3 is a program aimed at the ‘sub-elite’ runner – i.e. those targeting sub-3 hour marathons. The idea is that they support around 100 runners in both London and Boston marathons by providing them with trainers, race day kit and other support along the way. They also pay a $3k bonus if you break your PB (wearing the Puma shoes) by 3 minutes or more.

I had heard about Puma Project 3 from last year, which was the first year. Unfortunately I had already entered Manchester 2025, rather than London, so I wasn’t eligible to participate last year. I was therefore really excited when I saw it was returning again.

We just had provide details of our PBs and write a short personal statement, around January time. We found out early/mid February and I was incredibly excited to be accepted. I had entered London 2026 with the intention of running ‘for fun’, anticipating that I might not be able to train properly whilst I was away travelling. But with Project 3, that plan changed!

Let’s talk about the benefits you received as part of project 3. Obviously you were given kit to run in. I have to say, it looked pretty cool seeing all the athletes as part of the project racing through the streets of London in the unicorn race kit! You all definitely stood out, but what else did you benefit from - Training, nutrition advice, etc? Tell us more.

The kit was eye catching! Although ironically, it made it harder for people to spot me since we all looked identical!

The best part was probably the trainers. Receiving all the boxes through in the post was SO exciting. We received 2 pairs of the Fast-R Nitro 3, 2 pairs of the Deviate Nitro Elite 4 and a pair of the Deviate Nitro 4s. The first two are carbon plated race day shoes, and the third is more of a fast training shoe.

We also received a Puma tracksuit, along with other bits (e.g. socks, long sleeve top, cap, etc). We received some free Maurten products too, but having never used Maurten (£££), I haven’t tried those yet – maybe test those for a race that doesn’t matter so much.

Puma also arranged lots of online sessions on topics like psychology, nutrition, trainer design, etc, which were all super interesting

What did being a part of project 3 actually involve on a day to day level?

Primarily just being bombarded with messages from other runners in the group whatsapp (I might mute that…). Us runners are a needy bunch! But day to day nothing much changed – we all did our own training, just joined in the online sessions every week.

Did you feel any added pressure knowing that the project had performance based incentives? (If you beat your previous pb by 3 minutes or more you would have been given £3k - quite a significant amount of money!) How did it influence your race day strategy and did you take more risks because of the prize structure?

To get the cash bonus I needed 2.45.06, as I ran 2.48.06 in December in Valencia. I did wish I’d run 2.49.59 in Valencia. A 3 minute PB over a 4 month period was a tall order, but I initially planned to take the risk. Then I gave myself a bit of a reality check – I thought there was only a slim chance of hitting that time, and I know what it feels like to crawl home over the last 4 miles having gone out too fast. Given my training, a PB would be an amazing outcome and I decided to aim for that rather than something unrealistic.

Overall I’m happy with that decision. Although, I was feeling so good in the later stages that I reckon I could have taken slightly more of a risk and been OK.

Of the support you received through Puma’s project 3 what do you think made the biggest impact on race day?

I think I got a real boost on race day from feeling part of an ‘elite’ group. In addition, the psychological sessions we had were something I had not explored before and, of course I do think the trainers are excellent – but I had already tried these before Project 3, so knew that was the case!

Was there anything you were skeptical about beforehand or didn’t expect going into the project?

I was surprised at the calibre of some of the athletes on the project. A number were actually running in the elite section of London marathon, not just the Championships. E.g. the 50km World Champion was in the group.

Did being a part of project 3 live up to your expectations?  Would you like to do it again and is there anything you would change about it?

Yes and yes – and next time I want to go for that cash bonus.

There were a couple of things where our experience and requirements as non-elites differs a lot from the professionals/elites, which could be improved.  The main one was that we obviously carry our own fuel in the race, whereas the elites pick theirs up from tables on course. The Puma shorts provided didn’t have practical storage for gels - it caused a lot of last-minute panic across the group!

What is your biggest takeaway from your experience with project 3?

It’s a very clever marketing concept and I’m surprised more brands aren’t doing it! Hopefully it’s just a matter of time.

It also really highlights how many people are training and competing at an incredibly high level alongside full time jobs and other commitments.

Do you feel there’s more to come beyond a 2:46?

Definitely - I don’t think I would be a runner if I didn’t think there was more to come! We always think we can go faster! But yes 100% - I have some (likely delusional) goals. Being around high level runners in Project 3 and comparing my training, I can see I’m nowhere near reaching my potential. Some of the other women are training at much higher mileage than me, plus doing cross training, plus strength work. I’ve got a lot to work on!

What advice would you give to those runners now feeling inspired to chase down their own pb’s?

Go all in! One of my favourite quotes is from Molly Huddle, the US runner. “It’s okay to go all in on something. Well-rounded is great, but ‘pointy’ is a cool extreme too. There’s a short time in life when you can try to be great at something. Many people never even get a chance.”   It can be scary to ‘properly’ try, because it removes the excuses. But if we don’t then we’ll never know!

Seriously though, if anyone needs any practical advice/guidance on training or anything running-related I’m more than happy to try and help based on my experiences.

Last but not least, what’s next for you now?

Summer racing is so much fun, so I’m looking forward to doing some local, shorter races. I’m going to start hitting the gym too, to build my strength before the next marathon block. Then, my plan is to hopefully get into Amsterdam marathon in October, but TBC!

Thanks for answering my questions and congratulations once again!