Charlotte Purdue
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Purdue (born 10 June 1991) is a British
long-distance runner who competes in the 5000 metres
and 10,000 metres, as well as cross country running
. After winning a number of youth titles at national level, she had her first international success at the European Cross Country Championships
, winning medals in the junior races of 2007 and 2008. She was also the best European junior at the World Cross Country Championships those years.
She won a 5000 m silver medal
at the 2009 European Junior Championships
and went on to represent England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
. She won the junior individual and team gold medal
s at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships
. Purdue holds the UK junior record for the 10,000 m with a time of 32:36.75 minutes.
, she began competing for Aldershot
, Farnham and District Athletic Club around the age of thirteen. She also practised ballet
, achieving UK grade five. She won her first national youth titles in 2006, winning the 3000 metres
at the AAA under-17 championships and the UK School Games, as well as the English under-fifteens cross country
title. She quickly progressed to international competition and came fifteenth in the junior section of the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
– the best European performer in the race. She was the youngest runner in the 5000 metres
field at the 2007 European Athletics Junior Championships
and finished in tenth place. She won the UK junior trials for the 2007 European Cross Country Championships
and went on to take the individual bronze medal
and team gold medal
at the championships, which she shared with fellow British junior Steph Twell.
In 2008 Purdue did not improve her position at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
, ending the junior race in 16th place, but remained the top European performer. She made her senior international debut for Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 2008, running a 5 km leg of the Chiba Ekiden Relay in Japan
and helping the team to seventh in the rankings. She improved one place further at the 2008 European Cross Country Championships
, taking the silver medal
behind Twell in a British-dominated race which saw the country take the top six positions in the junior race.
At the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
, she came fourteenth in the junior race and helped the British girls to fourth in the team rankings. She secured her first international track
medal at the 2009 European Athletics Junior Championships
by winning the 5000 m silver in Novi Sad
. She also began to prove herself in the senior ranks that year – at the national championships she took the runner-up spot in the 5000 m behind Freya Murray
and came fourth at the Great Yorkshire Run
in September with a 10K best of 33:07 minutes. The 18-year-old suffered an injury in November (a knee stress fracture
) which ruled her out until the middle of 2010. This meant she missed both the European and World Cross Country Championships, as well as the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics
.
Purdue returned to competition in June 2010, coming seventh in the 10,000 metres national championship race. That August she improved her 5000 m personal best to 15:23.4 and also bettered her 10,000 m mark with a run of 32:36.75 (a junior record for the United Kingdom
). She earned selection for both events at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
. After a second place finish at the Yorkshire Run, she headed to New Delhi
where she came fourth in the 10,000 m final and sixth in the 5000 m. She won the junior race at the European Cross Trials in Liverpool
in November and went on to take the individual and team titles in the junior race at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships
. In her last year as a junior runner, she easily won the competition with seventeen seconds to spare over the runner-up.
She took her first win on the senior international circuit in January 2011, holding off Esther Chemtai and Louise Damen to capture the Antrim International Cross Country
women's title. She stepped up to the senior level for the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
and came 14th – Europe's top performer in the race and one of only two non-Africans in the top 15 (alongside Shalane Flanagan
). A month later she won the Great Ireland Run
by a margin of twenty seconds. She underwent knee surgery and missed the track season as a result. She returned to form with a fourth place finish at the Great South Run
10-mile race in October.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
long-distance runner who competes in the 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
and 10,000 metres, as well as cross country running
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
. After winning a number of youth titles at national level, she had her first international success at the European Cross Country Championships
European Cross Country Championships
The European Cross Country Championships is an annual international cross country running competition. Organised by the European Athletic Association, it is the area championships for the region and is held in December each year...
, winning medals in the junior races of 2007 and 2008. She was also the best European junior at the World Cross Country Championships those years.
She won a 5000 m silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the 2009 European Junior Championships
2009 European Athletics Junior Championships
The 20th European Athletics Junior Championships were held between 23 and 26 July 2009 in the Stadion Karađorđe in Novi Sad, Serbia.- Men's results :- Women's results :- Medal table :- References :Day reports...
and went on to represent England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
. She won the junior individual and team gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships
2010 European Cross Country Championships
The 2010 European Cross Country Championships was a continental cross country running competition that took place on 12 December in Albufeira, Portugal. It was the second time that the country hosted the event, building upon the 1997 edition held in Oeiras....
. Purdue holds the UK junior record for the 10,000 m with a time of 32:36.75 minutes.
Career
Born in Windsor, BerkshireWindsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
, she began competing for Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
, Farnham and District Athletic Club around the age of thirteen. She also practised ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, achieving UK grade five. She won her first national youth titles in 2006, winning the 3000 metres
3000 metres
The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
at the AAA under-17 championships and the UK School Games, as well as the English under-fifteens cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
title. She quickly progressed to international competition and came fifteenth in the junior section of the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 35th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in Mombasa, Kenya on 24 March, 2007. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition...
– the best European performer in the race. She was the youngest runner in the 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
field at the 2007 European Athletics Junior Championships
2007 European Athletics Junior Championships
The 2007 European Athletics Junior Championships is the 2007 version of the European Athletics Junior Championships. It was held from 19 July to 22 July at the FBK-Stadium in Hengelo, in the eastern Netherlands.- Men :- Women :- Medals table :...
and finished in tenth place. She won the UK junior trials for the 2007 European Cross Country Championships
2007 European Cross Country Championships
The 14th European Cross Country Championships were held at Toro in Spain on 9 December 2007. Serhiy Lebid took his seventh title in the men's competition and Marta Domínguez won the women's race.-Men individual 10.7km:Total 57 competitors-Men teams:...
and went on to take the individual bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
and team gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at the championships, which she shared with fellow British junior Steph Twell.
In 2008 Purdue did not improve her position at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Holyrood Park at Edinburgh, Scotland on 30 March 2008. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition...
, ending the junior race in 16th place, but remained the top European performer. She made her senior international debut for Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 2008, running a 5 km leg of the Chiba Ekiden Relay in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and helping the team to seventh in the rankings. She improved one place further at the 2008 European Cross Country Championships
2008 European Cross Country Championships
The 15th European Cross Country Championships were held at Brussels in Belgium on 14 December 2008. Serhiy Lebid took his eighth title in the men's competition and Hilda Kibet won the women's race.-Men individual 10.0km:Total 77 competitors-Men teams:...
, taking the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
behind Twell in a British-dominated race which saw the country take the top six positions in the junior race.
At the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 37th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Al Bisharat Golf Course at Amman, Jordan on 28 March 2009. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition...
, she came fourteenth in the junior race and helped the British girls to fourth in the team rankings. She secured her first international track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
medal at the 2009 European Athletics Junior Championships
2009 European Athletics Junior Championships
The 20th European Athletics Junior Championships were held between 23 and 26 July 2009 in the Stadion Karađorđe in Novi Sad, Serbia.- Men's results :- Women's results :- Medal table :- References :Day reports...
by winning the 5000 m silver in Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
. She also began to prove herself in the senior ranks that year – at the national championships she took the runner-up spot in the 5000 m behind Freya Murray
Freya Murray
Freya Murray is a Scottish long-distance runner who competes in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres, as well as cross country running. Murray represented Scotland in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres in the 2010 Commonwealth Games. in Delhi in October 2010...
and came fourth at the Great Yorkshire Run
Great Yorkshire Run
The Great Yorkshire Run is an annual road-race event run in Sheffield City Centre. It is a part of the Great Run series of events, and as such is linked with the Great North Run...
in September with a 10K best of 33:07 minutes. The 18-year-old suffered an injury in November (a knee stress fracture
Stress fracture
A stress fracture is one type of incomplete fracture in bones. It is caused by "unusual or repeated stress" and also heavy continuous weight on the ankle or leg...
) which ruled her out until the middle of 2010. This meant she missed both the European and World Cross Country Championships, as well as the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics
2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 13th World Junior Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition for athletes under the age of 20 which was held at the Moncton Stadium in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada from 19–25 July 2010. A total of 44 athletics events were contested at the Championships, 22 by male...
.
Purdue returned to competition in June 2010, coming seventh in the 10,000 metres national championship race. That August she improved her 5000 m personal best to 15:23.4 and also bettered her 10,000 m mark with a run of 32:36.75 (a junior record for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
). She earned selection for both events at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Athletics at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
The athletics competition at the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held in New Delhi, India between 6 and 14 October. The track and field events took place between 6–12 October at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium while the marathon contests were held on a street course running through the city on 14...
. After a second place finish at the Yorkshire Run, she headed to New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
where she came fourth in the 10,000 m final and sixth in the 5000 m. She won the junior race at the European Cross Trials in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in November and went on to take the individual and team titles in the junior race at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships
2010 European Cross Country Championships
The 2010 European Cross Country Championships was a continental cross country running competition that took place on 12 December in Albufeira, Portugal. It was the second time that the country hosted the event, building upon the 1997 edition held in Oeiras....
. In her last year as a junior runner, she easily won the competition with seventeen seconds to spare over the runner-up.
She took her first win on the senior international circuit in January 2011, holding off Esther Chemtai and Louise Damen to capture the Antrim International Cross Country
Antrim International Cross Country
The Antrim International Cross Country, formerly the Belfast International Cross Country, is an annual cross country running meeting which takes place every January in Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is one of the IAAF's cross country permit meetings, as well as being part of the UK Cross Challenge tour...
women's title. She stepped up to the senior level for the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in Punta Umbría, Spain on 20 March 2011.-Preparation:The United States had expressed an interest in hosting the competition, but Punta Umbria was chosen as the host at the IAAF Council Meeting in November 2009...
and came 14th – Europe's top performer in the race and one of only two non-Africans in the top 15 (alongside Shalane Flanagan
Shalane Flanagan
Shalane Flanagan is an American distance runner. She currently holds the American record times in the 3000 m , 5000 m , and 10,000 m...
). A month later she won the Great Ireland Run
Great Ireland Run
The Great Ireland Run is an annual 10-kilometre road running competition which is held in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland in mid-April. It is part of the Great Run series of athletics competitions and it also holds IAAF Bronze Label Road Race status...
by a margin of twenty seconds. She underwent knee surgery and missed the track season as a result. She returned to form with a fourth place finish at the Great South Run
Great South Run
The Bupa Great South Run is an annual 10 miles road running race which takes place in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. Launched in 1990, it is part of the Great Run series created by former British athlete Brendan Foster...
10-mile race in October.
Major competition record
| 2007 | World Cross Country Championships 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 35th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in Mombasa, Kenya on 24 March, 2007. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition... |
Mombasa Mombasa Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry.... , Kenya |
15th | Junior race | |
| European Junior Championships 2007 European Athletics Junior Championships The 2007 European Athletics Junior Championships is the 2007 version of the European Athletics Junior Championships. It was held from 19 July to 22 July at the FBK-Stadium in Hengelo, in the eastern Netherlands.- Men :- Women :- Medals table :... |
Hengelo Hengelo Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:... , Netherlands |
10th | 5000 m | ||
| European Cross Country Championships 2007 European Cross Country Championships The 14th European Cross Country Championships were held at Toro in Spain on 9 December 2007. Serhiy Lebid took his seventh title in the men's competition and Marta Domínguez won the women's race.-Men individual 10.7km:Total 57 competitors-Men teams:... |
Toro, Spain | 3rd | Junior race | Individual | |
| 1st | Junior race | Team | |||
| 2008 | World Cross Country Championships 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Holyrood Park at Edinburgh, Scotland on 30 March 2008. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition... |
Edinburgh Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area... , Scotland |
16th | Junior race | |
| European Cross Country Championships 2008 European Cross Country Championships The 15th European Cross Country Championships were held at Brussels in Belgium on 14 December 2008. Serhiy Lebid took his eighth title in the men's competition and Hilda Kibet won the women's race.-Men individual 10.0km:Total 77 competitors-Men teams:... |
Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union... , Belgium |
2nd | Junior race | Individual | |
| 1st | Junior race | Team | |||
| 2009 | World Cross Country Championships 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 37th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Al Bisharat Golf Course at Amman, Jordan on 28 March 2009. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition... |
Amman Amman Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost... , Jordan |
14th | Junior race | |
| European Junior Championships 2009 European Athletics Junior Championships The 20th European Athletics Junior Championships were held between 23 and 26 July 2009 in the Stadion Karađorđe in Novi Sad, Serbia.- Men's results :- Women's results :- Medal table :- References :Day reports... |
Novi Sad Novi Sad Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river.... , Serbia |
2nd | 5000 m | ||
| 2010 | Commonwealth Games Athletics at the 2010 Commonwealth Games The athletics competition at the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held in New Delhi, India between 6 and 14 October. The track and field events took place between 6–12 October at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium while the marathon contests were held on a street course running through the city on 14... |
New Delhi New Delhi New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is... , India |
6th | 5000 m Athletics at the 2010 Commonwealth Games – Women's 5000 metres The Women's 5000 metres event took place at October 12, 2010 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.-Final:... |
|
| 4th | 10,000 m Athletics at the 2010 Commonwealth Games – Women's 10,000 metres The Women's 10000 metres at the 2010 Commonwealth Games as part of the athletics programme was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday 8 October 2010.There was just a final held.-Records:-Final:-External links:*... |
||||
| European Cross Country Championships 2010 European Cross Country Championships The 2010 European Cross Country Championships was a continental cross country running competition that took place on 12 December in Albufeira, Portugal. It was the second time that the country hosted the event, building upon the 1997 edition held in Oeiras.... |
Albufeira Albufeira Albufeira is a Portuguese municipality in the Faro District, Algarve region. Its name came from the Arabic: البحيرة . The city has a population of 13,646. The municipality has a population of 35,281 inhabitants and a total area of 140.6 km²... , Portugal |
1st | Junior race | Individual | |
| 1st | Junior race | Team | |||
| 2011 | World Cross Country Championships 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in Punta Umbría, Spain on 20 March 2011.-Preparation:The United States had expressed an interest in hosting the competition, but Punta Umbria was chosen as the host at the IAAF Council Meeting in November 2009... |
Punta Umbría Punta Umbría Punta Umbría is a town and municipality in the province of Huelva, part of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia.The Punta in its name comes from the long point going out to the sea from the beach.... , Spain |
14th | Senior race | 8 km |
Personal bests
- 1500 metres1500 metresThe 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...
- 4:19.13 min (2009) - 3000 metres3000 metresThe 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
- 9:18.69 min (2009) - 5000 metres5000 metresThe 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
- 15:23.4 min (2010) - 10,000 metres - 32:36.75 min (2010)