Leeds Doctor Phil Sesemann ran the London Marathon and qualified for the European Championships after coming seventh on his first attempt.
Remarkably, the junior doctor completed the 26.2 mile run in just two hours, twelve minutes and 58 seconds – a time that secured qualification for the European Championships and Commonwealth Games.
Sesemann has been training with his dog Kipchoge, aptly named after marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge. Kipchoge the spaniel cross has her own Strava account and regularly completes eighty miles of exercise a week alongside her owner.
According to Sesemann, “she seems to love it, but she doesn’t get a choice”.
This was Sesemann’s first attempt at the London Marathon, yet his impressive time was less than ten minutes behind marathon winner Sisay Lemma. The thirty-year-old from Ethiopia completed the marathon in two hours four minutes and one second.
Due to coming into contact with a fellow racer that tested positive for Covid-19, Lemma was not able to enjoy his success on the podium and left to return to their hotel after finishing the marathon – forcing his manager to take his place.
This was also a considerable fear for Sesemann, having worked in St James’ and Leeds General Infirmary during the Covid-19 pandemic in the accident and emergency department, he would have been fully aware of the physical impact that the disease can have when training or participating in such events.
The Leeds doctor had been minimising his risk of catching the disease during the lead-up to the marathon.
“It wouldn’t be worth it”, noted Sesemann in an interview after his marathon success.
As the A&E doctor celebrated his win, he also is celebrated his 29th birthday on the tracks. With a crowd of half a million bystanders, this will certainly be a birthday to remember.
Sesemann ran alongside almost 36,000 other participants from Blackheath to the Mall but a further 35,000 runners are expected to have finished the virtual London Marathon.
It is thought that the London Marathon 2021 will now hold the world record for the number of runners taking part in a single marathon. The previous record was held by New York, but an announcement should be made later today if London 2021 has broken the record.
Feature image – London Marathon
