# Tracey Morris > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Tracey_Morris > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Tracey_Morris.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracey_Morris > Source revision: 1317260563 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|British long-distance runner}} {{For|the American poet|Tracie Morris}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}} {{Use British English|date=July 2018}} '''Tracey Morris''' (born 9 September 1967) is a [British](/source/British_people) [long-distance runner](/source/Long-distance_running). ==Early career== Morris grew up in [Anglesey](/source/Anglesey), [Wales](/source/Wales) and ran as a Welsh schoolgirl,{{cite web|author1=Anthony France and Ben Fenton|title=From fun run to Olympics in a giant stride by Tracey|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1459652/From-fun-run-to-Olympics-in-a-giant-stride-by-Tracey.html|website=The Telegraph|access-date=7 May 2016|date=19 April 2004}} but stopped running soon after. She moved to [Leeds](/source/Leeds) and in 1998, aged 30, she resumed running to keep fit ,{{cite web|author1=Sarah Freeman|title=The fun runner who took on the Olympics|url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/analysis/the-fun-runner-who-took-on-the-olympics-1-6829377|work=Yorkshire Post|access-date=7 May 2016|date=9 September 2014}} and took part in the [London Marathon](/source/London_Marathon) running for charity. In December 2003 she took part in a local event the 'Leeds Abbey Dash' and finished as the first woman just ahead of [Bev Jenkins](/source/Bev_Jenkins) .{{cite web|title=Leeds Abbey Dash - Sunday 30th November 2003|url=http://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2003/abbeydash.htm|website=race-results.co.uk|access-date=7 May 2016}} The race was watched by [UK Athletics'](/source/UK_Athletics) [Bud Baldero](/source/Bud_Baldero){{cite web|author1=Tom Fordyce|title=From the opticians to the Olympics|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/3638965.stm|website=BBC Sport|publisher=BBC|access-date=7 May 2016|date=19 April 2004}} who invited her to join the Great Britain [Marathon](/source/Marathon) squad. Baldero also ensured she had a place in the 2004 [London Marathon](/source/London_Marathon) for which her application had not been successful.{{cite web|author1=Duncan Mackay|title=Athens calls as Morris gets serious|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2004/apr/19/athletics.duncanmackay|work=The Guardian|access-date=7 May 2016|date=19 April 2004}} She was the only non-professional runner to be invited to take part. In January 2004 she won two domestic [half marathon](/source/half_marathon) races, the [Brass Monkey Half Marathon](/source/Brass_Monkey_Half_Marathon) and [Four Villages Half Marathon](/source/Four_Villages_Half_Marathon). On 18 April 2004, she stood on the [Blackheath, London](/source/Blackheath%2C_London) starting line not knowing what was to come.{{cite web|author1=Gareth A Davies|title=My Sport: Tracey Morris|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/athletics/2377355/My-Sport-Tracey-Morris.html|website=The Telegraph|access-date=7 May 2016|date=20 April 2004}} But as a relatively unknown runner she burst into the public conscience by becoming the first British woman in the [London Marathon](/source/London_Marathon). She was so unknown that one of the then British fastest runners, [Birhan Dagne](/source/Birhan_Dagne), did not try to finish in front of her as "I did not know who she was". After retiring, Morris continued working as an optician in Leeds.{{Cite web |date=2014-09-09 |title=The fun runner who took on the Olympics |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/the-fun-runner-who-took-on-the-olympics-1835217 |access-date=2025-01-24 |website=Yorkshire Post |language=en}} ==International Competition== {| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}} |- !colspan="6"|Representing {{GBR2}} and {{WAL}} |- |2004 |[Olympic Games](/source/2004_Olympic_Games) |[Athens](/source/Athens), Greece |29th |Marathon |2:41:00 |- |2006 |[Commonwealth Games](/source/2006_Commonwealth_Games) |[Melbourne](/source/Melbourne), Australia |4th |Marathon |2:33:13 |- |2006 |[European Championships](/source/2006_European_Athletics_Championships) |[Gothenburg](/source/Gothenburg), Sweden |16th |Marathon |2:37:34 |- |2007 |[World Championships](/source/2007_World_Championships_in_Athletics) |[Osaka](/source/Osaka), Japan |19th |Marathon |2:36:40 |} ==Road races== {| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}} |- |2003 |[Wilmslow Half Marathon](/source/Wilmslow_Half_Marathon) |[Wilmslow](/source/Wilmslow) |9th |Half Marathon |1:18:42 |- |2004 |[Four Villages Half Marathon](/source/Four_Villages_Half_Marathon) |[Helsby](/source/Helsby) |bgcolor="gold"|1st |Half Marathon |1:14:22 |- |2004 |[Brass Monkey Half Marathon](/source/Brass_Monkey_Half_Marathon) |[York](/source/York) |bgcolor="gold"|1st |Half Marathon |1:13:44 |- |2004 |[London Marathon](/source/London_Marathon) |[London](/source/London) |10th |Marathon |2:33:52 |- |2005 |[Brass Monkey Half Marathon](/source/Brass_Monkey_Half_Marathon) |[York](/source/York) |2nd |Half Marathon |1:14:47 |- |2005 |[Liverpool Half Marathon](/source/Liverpool_Half_Marathon) |[Liverpool](/source/Liverpool) |2nd |Half Marathon |1:13:18 |- |2006 |[Brass Monkey Half Marathon](/source/Brass_Monkey_Half_Marathon) |[York](/source/York) |bgcolor="gold"|1st |Half Marathon |1:16:55 |- |2006 |[Great North Run](/source/Great_North_Run) |[Newcastle upon tyne](/source/Newcastle_upon_tyne) |12th |Half Marathon |1:13:10 |- |2007 |[Silverstone Half Marathon](/source/Silverstone_Half_Marathon) |[Silverstone](/source/Silverstone) |3rd |Half Marathon |1:17:26 |- |2007 |[Great North Run](/source/Great_North_Run) |[Newcastle upon tyne](/source/Newcastle_upon_tyne) |7th |Half Marathon |1:13:22 |- |2008 |[Reading Half Marathon](/source/Reading_Half_Marathon) |[Reading, Berkshire](/source/Reading%2C_Berkshire) |7th |Half Marathon |1:15:45 |} ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *{{Power of 10 name | 10548}} *{{World Athletics}} *{{ARRS name | 21457}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Tracey}} Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Anglesey Category:Welsh women long-distance runners Category:British women long-distance runners Category:Welsh women marathon runners Category:British women marathon runners Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Category:Commonwealth Games athletes for Wales --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tracey Morris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracey_Morris) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracey_Morris?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.