Lawyer who misplaced job in Covid and turned to operating is now an Olympian
As an office worker who used her commute to work as a chance to exercise, Rose Harvey was like millions of others who pummel the streets from Monday to Friday.
After being made redundant during the pandemic her running became more serious as she looked for ways to fill her time.
And on Sunday, four years after her daily jog to and from the office properly began, the 31-year-old will complete her transition from amateur runner to world class athlete when she competes in the marathon for Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Despite her meteoric rise in the sport, Rose insists that ‘no one saw me as a prodigy’ when she was in the throng of fun runners who pound the pavements of the UK during the working week.
Cheering her on in the French capital this weekend will be her soon-to-be husband, who is also a keen amateur runner.
Charlie Thuillier is founder of the hip ice-cream company Oppo – an award-winning lower calorie dessert available in most supermarkets – but he has stepped down from his job to help her train so she can achieve her dream of getting the gold.
Rose Harvey, 31, will be representing Team GB for the women’s marathon event on Sunday, just four short years after being made redundant from a hedge fund
Spurred on with the support of her soon-to-be husband and founder of an ice-cream company, Charlie Thuillier, who stepped down as head of Oppo to help her train
Harvey, pictured after a training session, was working such long hours as a finance lawyer she barely had time for exercise
Harvey competed for Team GB for the first time in Oregon in 2022 and spoke of her pride at being able to represent her country
In 2020, while living in Clapham in South London, Harvey was made redundant and given three months of gardening leave, where she decided to start training for a triathlon in a bid to occupy her time.
‘I’d gone from working all hours to literally having nothing to do, all this time at home, and I realised that work had become my entire life,’ she said.
‘It pushed me to do something quite radical, I had this awesome opportunity and wanted to do something cool with it.’
Harvey was spotted by a coach, Phil Kissi, while training in Battersea Park. Impressed by her natural skill, he took her on and began to train her – and by the time she took part in the 2021 Cheshire Marathon, Harvey had shaved a sensational 30 minutes off her personal best.
As the world began to return to normal, Harvey went back to work as a consultant, however her incredible running times were noticed and she landed sponsorship from Puma – allowing her to become a full-time professional athlete.
Speaking to the Times she said: ‘I was nowhere near contemplating that I could go to the next Olympics. I still kind of felt very new in the sport. It’s pretty ruthless as you’re only as good as your last race.’
Rose Harvey of Great Britain finishes in the Elite Women’s Marathon during the 2022 TCS London Marathon on October 02, 2022
Rose and her fiancé Charlie. In 2020, while living in Clapham in South London , Harvey was made redundant and given three months of gardening leave, where she decided to start training for a triathlon in a bid to occupy her time
Harvey was spotted by a coach, Phil Kissi, while training in Battersea Park. Impressed by her natural skill, he took her on and began to train her
Rose Harvey, 31, from Clapham in South London, will compete in the Paris 2025 Olympics after beginning her running career during lockdown
She lives with her fiancé Charlie Thuillier, who is her manager and joins her on various training and competing trips around the world.
In July Thuillier posted a clip of himself watching Rose at the Chicago Marathon last October.
He wrote: ‘What’s it like for supporters of elite athletes? Nerve wracking! I swear my heart rate is higher than Rose’s during her races.’
After the same race, at which Harvey set her PB of 2:23:21, he posted a gushing tribute to his fiancée in which he revealed his pride.
‘She utterly nailed it,’ he proclaimed.
‘I managed to see Rose 9 times around the course, hence my voice had died at the end!’
He added: ‘I can’t wait to see what Rose and the team will achieve in the next race.’
The couple plan to marry three weeks after her race on Sunday, with her family still joking that she will come down the aisle in ‘white leggings’.
