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Nick Symmonds, a 1:42 800m runner in 2012, debuts in the marathon

The six-time U.S. outdoor 800m champion ran his first marathon on Sunday in Hawaii

Nick Symmonds

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One of the fastest 800m runners in history made his debut in the marathon on Sunday.

Nick Symmonds, the 2013 IAAF World Championships silver medallist over 800m, raced the Honolulu Marathon in Hawaii, his first race longer than a half-marathon. The 33-year-old American who resides in Eugene, Ore. ran 3:00:35, a Boston Marathon qualifying time, off a negative split (running the second half faster than the first), according to results.

Over 800m, Symmonds has run 1:42.95, set during the famous 2012 London Olympics final, won by Kenyan David Rudisha in a world record of 1:40.91. Symmonds, who was fifth in that London 2012 final, has also run a world-class 3:34.55 for 1,500m.

Prior to the marathon, Symmonds told media that he was aiming for a 3:30 in the Hawaii state capital. The American retired middle-distance runner, who co-founded the company Run Gum, made headlines in recent years for being outspoken about the advertising rules associated with track and field. He sold advertising space (to T-Mobile US CEO and running fan John Legere) on his shoulder in the form of a temporary tattoo.

Symmonds’s marathon training

In the leadup to the Honolulu Marathon, one of the world’s largest road races over that distance, the two-time Olympian said the longest run he did in training was 24K, about 3K longer than the half-marathon. He ran 1:24:17 for a half-marathon in October.

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Lawrence Cherono and Brigid Kosgei won the 2017 Honolulu Marathon in 2:08:26 and 2:22:14, both course records. The popular destination race got underway at 5 a.m. local time.

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