Lee Merrien

Lee Merrien (born 26 April 1979) is a British middle distance and long-distance runner. He has been named to the British team for the 2012 Summer Olympics following a Facebook campaign after he was initially not selected to the team. He has won multiple events at the Island Games for his home of Guernsey.

Lee Merrien
Lee Merrien at the 2012 London Marathon
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born (1979-04-26) 26 April 1979[1]
Guernsey
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight61 kg (134 lb)
Sport
Country Great Britain
 Guernsey
SportAthletics
Event(s)800 m, 1,500 m, 5,000 m, Marathon
ClubLee Merrien Running
Coached byJohn Nuttall
Achievements and titles
World finals2002 Commonwealth Games – 1,500 m – 15th
2006 Commonwealth Games – 1,500 m – 15th
2006 Commonwealth Games – 10,000 m – 14th
2010 Commonwealth Games – 5,000 m – 15th
2010 Commonwealth Games – 10,000 m – 14th
2018 Commonwealth Games - Marathon - 8th
Regional finals2010 European Championships – 8th
Medal record
Island Games
2003 Guernsey 1,500 m
2005 Shetland 1,500 m
2005 Shetland 5,000 m
2005 Shetland 4x400 m relay
2007 Rhodes 1,500 m
2007 Rhodes 5,000 m
2009 Åland 1,500 m
2009 Åland 5,000 m
2011 Isle of Wight Half marathon
2017 Gotland Half marathon
2001 Isle of Man 1,500 m
2003 Guernsey 800 m
2015 Jersey Half marathon
2017 Gotland 10,000m
2001 Isle of Man 800 m

Career

Merrien competed at his first Island Games in Gotland in 1999, however he did finish in a medal position that year.[2] Representing his home of Guernsey, he went on to win nine gold medals over the next several years at the Island Games in the half marathon, 1,500 m, 5,000 m and 4 × 400 m relay, and also won two silver medals and one bronze.[3][4][5][6] At the 2009 Island Games on the Isle of Wight he set Island Games records in both the 1,500 m and the 5,000 m events.[6]

In the 2011 London Marathon, he set a new personal best of 2 h 14 min 27 s, which was within the "B" qualifying time for the 2012 Summer Olympics and was the fastest British competitor in the race. He admitted afterwards that he had mixed feelings regarding his time, as although it was a new personal best, it wasn't within the "A" qualifying time for the Games.[7] His only previous attempt at the London Marathon was in 2010 when he finished in 12th place.[8]

He finished 17th in the 2012 London Marathon, which was once again the highest placed British competitor in the race.[9] He finished in a time of 2 h 13 min 41 s, a new personal best, just outside the Olympic qualifying time set by UK Athletics at 2 h 12 min. Due to this, he was not chosen for the British team at the 2012 Olympics, with Scott Overall and Dave Webb being chosen for the team, and with the third spot left deliberately empty. His time was inside the "A" time of 2 h 15 min as set by the International Association of Athletics Federations.[10]

This resulted in an online campaign on Facebook to select Merrien for the British team,[10] run by fan Cara Saul.[11] The campaign resulted in 3,000 followers.[12] Merrien appealed against the decision not to select him; his appeal was thrown out by UK Athletics. However, on 27 April, it was announced that the selectors had reversed their decision and added Merrien to the British team for the Olympics.[13] Merrien's response was described as "ecstatic".[14]

In his final race prior to the 2012 Games, he won a half Marathon on Guernsey in June, eight and a half minutes ahead of the second placed athlete.[15] Prior to the games, he is to complete altitude training in the Pyrenees mountains in Europe,[16] having previous attended camps in Iten, Kenya.[17] At the Olympics he finished 30th in the field, the highest place Brit.

Personal life

Merrien attended the University of Bath, graduating with a degree in Coach Education and Sports Performance. He currently manages a running club.[18] He is the spokesman for charity Male Uprising in Guernsey which aims to raise awareness of prostate, testicular and bowel cancer.[19]

References
  1. "Lee Merrien". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  2. "Athletics Official Results" (PDF). Island Games. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  3. "Natwest Island Games XI – Shetland 2005" (PDF). Island Games. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  4. "Natwest Island Games XII – Rhodes 2007" (PDF). RhodesResults2007.com. Island Games. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  5. "Athletic Results – Aland 2009" (PDF). Island Games. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  6. "Isle of Wight 2009" (PDF). Island Games. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  7. "Lee Merrien confesses to 'mixed feelings' over marathon". BBC Sport. 18 April 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  8. "Lee Merrien (GBR) – 2012 Olympian". BoulderWave. Archived from the original on 11 May 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  9. "London Marathon: Wilson Kipsang and Mary Keitany secure victory". BBC Sport. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  10. Hart, Simon (26 April 2012). "Lee Merrien did not meet qualifying standards for London 2012 Olympics and UK Athletics should stick to its guns". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  11. "Online campaign launched for Lee Merrien Olympic selection". BBC Sport. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  12. Shea, Julian (30 April 2012). "Lee Merrien handed 2012 marathon spot after appeal over exclusion". Metro. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  13. "London 2012: Lee Merrien is selected for GB marathon team". BBC Sport. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  14. "Lee Merrien 'ecstatic' at Olympic u-turn". BBC Sport. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  15. "Lee Merrien cruises to Guernsey half marathon victory". BBC Sport. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  16. "London 2012: Lee Merrien confident of marathon performance". BBC Sport. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  17. Whittaker, Mike. "Lee Merrien". Newham and Essex Beagles. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  18. "Marathon runner Lee Merrien says university opened his eyes to elite sport". Podium. 16 May 2012. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  19. "Guernsey's Lee Merrien named ambassador for Mug charity". BBC News. 16 May 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
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