Tracey Morris (born 9 September 1967) is a British long-distance runner.
Early career
Morris grew up in Anglesey, Wales and ran as a Welsh schoolgirl, but stopped running soon after. She moved to Leeds and in 1998, aged 30, she resumed running to keep fit, and took part in the London Marathon running for charity.
In December 2003 she took part in a local event the 'Leeds Abbey Dash' and finished as the first woman just ahead of Bev Jenkins . The race was watched by UK Athletics' Bud Baldero who invited her to join the Great Britain Marathon squad. Baldero also ensured she had a place in the 2004 London Marathon for which her application had not been successful. She was the only non-professional runner to be invited to take part. In January 2004 she won two domestic half marathon races, the Brass Monkey Half Marathon and Four Villages Half Marathon.
On 18 April 2004, she stood on the Blackheath, London starting line of the London Marathon, not knowing what was to come. But as a relatively unknown runner she burst into the public conscience by becoming the first British woman to finish. She was so unknown that one of the then-fastest British runners, Birhan Dagne, did not try to finish in front of her as "I did not know who she was".
After retiring, Morris continued working as an optician in Leeds.
International Competition Representing and 2004Olympic GamesAthens, Greece29thMarathon2:41:002006Commonwealth GamesMelbourne, Australia4thMarathon2:33:132006European ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden16thMarathon2:37:342007World ChampionshipsOsaka, Japan19thMarathon2:36:40
Road races
2003Wilmslow Half MarathonWilmslow9thHalf Marathon1:18:422004Four Villages Half MarathonHelsby1stHalf Marathon1:14:222004Brass Monkey Half MarathonYork1stHalf Marathon1:13:442004London MarathonLondon10thMarathon2:33:522005Brass Monkey Half MarathonYork2ndHalf Marathon1:14:472005Liverpool Half MarathonLiverpool2ndHalf Marathon1:13:182006Brass Monkey Half MarathonYork1stHalf Marathon1:16:552006Great North RunNewcastle upon tyne12thHalf Marathon1:13:102007Silverstone Half MarathonSilverstone3rdHalf Marathon1:17:262007Great North RunNewcastle upon tyne7thHalf Marathon1:13:222008Reading Half MarathonReading, Berkshire7thHalf Marathon1:15:45
References
External links