Helen Davies (née Decker born 12 September 1979) is a British

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

. She finished 3rd British Lady at the London Marathon in 2010. She competed for Britain at the

2010 European Athletics Championships The 2010 European Athletics Championships were the 20th edition of the European Athletics Championships, organised under the supervision of the European Athletic Association. They were held at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, Cat ...

and represented England at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...

, both in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

.After a 5 year break from running in 2012 to start a family, she returned successfully in 2017 to win the Brighton Marathon, and then went on to win at Brighton Marathon for a furthermore two years, earning selection for a third time to run for Team England at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in Canada in 2018. Cumulating in a hat trick of wins and pb performance in 2019 at Brighton Marathon. Following this performance She was selected for Team GB to represent at the IAU 50k World Championships in Brasov Romania. Here she finished second 2mins behind team mate Alyson Dixon, earning herself a world silver medal and helping the team to Gold. Davies had represented her country during the 2008, 2009 & 2018

Toronto Waterfront Marathon The Toronto Waterfront Marathon is an annual marathon held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in October. The race day also includes a half marathon and 5 km race. The race has quickly become an elite level marathon and is one of just five World A ...

which included an international team challenge. Davies came to prominence as a marathon runner when she finished in a personal best time of 2:36:56 the 2010

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held ...

. This time won her place in the England squad for

. She was selected for the British team to run at the

, she was the fourth British runner to finish behind

Michelle Ross-Cope Michelle Ross-Cope (born 31 January 1972) is an English long-distance runner. She competed for Britain at the European Athletics Championships and several IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. She also represented England at the 2010 Commonwea ...

, Susan Partridge and Holly Rush, a race that saw the British team come third in the

European Marathon Cup The European Marathon Cup is a quadrennial team marathon competition between European countries. Initially a stand-alone championship race inaugurated in 1981 European Marathon Cup, 1981, the race has been held in conjunction with the European Athl ...

. In the

Davies finished eighth in a time of 2:49:24, three minutes behind Ross-Cope who finished sixth. Both in 2011 and 2012 Davies improved on her London Marathon time taking her personal best to 2:34:11, but a time just short of the required 2:31:00 for a place at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. Davies further improved her Marathon pb 2 years after her return to competition and becoming a mother of two. At her hat trick performance at the Brighton Marathon in 2019. Where she ran 2.34.06. Davies finished second in the

IAU 50 km World Championships The IAU 50 km World Championships is an annual, global ultrarunning competition over 50 kilometres organized by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU). The competition began life as the IAU 50 km World Trophy in 2005. It se ...

in 2019 in a time of 3:09:16.Athletics Weekly: Aly Dixon Wins World 50km Title on Ultra Running Debut.
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Competition Record

References

External links

* * 1979 births Living people Sportspeople from Ipswich British female long-distance runners English female long-distance runners British female marathon runners English female marathon runners Commonwealth Games competitors for England Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games {{England-athletics-bio-stub