British marathon runner’s career has been affected by injuries lately but he is aiming to make his mark again this weekend in New York City

Five years ago, Callum Hawkins was soaring. He had just clinched a second consecutive fourth-place marathon finish at the World Championships in Doha and shattered the Scottish record at the London Marathon, clocking 2:08:14. It seemed like nothing could stop his rise.

But fate had other plans. The following years saw Hawkins’ body turn against him and a string of injuries stopped him in his tracks. A heartbreaking ankle injury stopped him from being able to finish the Olympic marathon in Tokyo and, in early 2022, he underwent surgery for a bone fragment in his foot, followed by various stress reactions. Yet, the setbacks didn’t stop there and this year began with another blow – a broken collarbone.

Despite the various physical challenges, the 32-year-old made it to the start line of the London Marathon in April and, though far from being his personal best, a 16th-place finish in 2:17:34 was a victory in itself, given that Hawkins hadn’t followed a traditional training plan due to his injuries.

Callum Hawkins (LM Events)

“I had only done one full marathon session before London,” he says. “I was feeling uncomfortable and probably punched it a bit too hard at the halfway mark. But it was still good to get out and get some sort of racing in and to get that monkey off my back of not doing a marathon in a long time. You forget how it feels.”

Fast forward to the present and Hawkins is gearing up for the New York City Marathon on November 3. After a summer of dedicated training he is ready to take on the Big Apple with renewed confidence and competitive energy.

October saw him reclaim his crown at the AJ Bell Great Scottish Run, clinching his third victory in the half marathon event. Crossing the finish in 63:25, Hawkins returned to his winning ways on home soil – a perfect way to prepare for the challenge that lies ahead.

Having previously won the Great Scottish Run in 2016 and 2022, Hawkins knew the course would help him get ready. “Glasgow is about half the amount of climbing as New York in total and it is half the length, so it is roughly the same sort of profile,” he says.

Callum Hawkins (Mark Shearman)

“It was good to get back to racing and I wasn’t worrying too much about my time, I was just going out to win it.”

While this will be his New York Marathon debut, it won’t be Hawkins’ first taste of racing through the city’s streets. Back in 2017, he blazed through the NYC Half Marathon, finishing second in a time of 60:08. He had hoped to return for the marathon after the Tokyo Olympics, but those aforementioned injury woes scuppered those plans.

He will have a fierce line-up to contend with on a course that starts on Staten Island, then winds through New York’s five boroughs before finishing in Central Park. Among those toeing the line are defending champion and Olympic gold medallist Tamirat Tola, along with two-time Olympic medallist Bashir Abdi, as well as 2022 champion Evans Chebet.

Callum Hawkins (Bobby Gavin)

But, compared to the rushed preparations for London, Hawkins’ training for New York has been much smoother.

“I’ve managed to do a full training block for a marathon of a full 16 weeks,” he says. “I’ve just been a bit smarter, stuck to a 10-day cycle instead of a seven-day cycle, which we used to do. It allows more recovery in between sessions. I have a lot more confidence going into it and I’m starting to feel a bit more like my old self.

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“I think I now have the confidence to go off with the main group and if nothing silly happens in the first half then we will take it from there. I am feeling happy that I can actually go into a marathon and feel competitive.”

» This is an abridged version of a feature that appears in the November issue of AW magazine. Subscribe to AW magazine here, check out our new podcast here or sign up to our digital archive of back issues from 1945 to the present day here