Freya Ross (née Murray, born 20 September 1983) is a Scottish

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

who competed in the Marathon at the London 2012 Olympics. She mainly competed in road races, but was also successful on the track competing in

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a sta ...

and

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship-level events. The ...

, as well as

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

. Ross represented Scotland in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres in the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

. in Delhi in October 2010. Some of her best road racing results were from 2009 and 2010 when she won the

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. It is sponsored by SPAR and features both an el ...

in 2010 and the Great Yorkshire Run in both 2009 and 2010 setting the course record in 2009. In February 2012, Freya won the

Scottish Athletics Scottish Athletics, stylised as scottishathletics, is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Scotland. As such it is responsible for organising annual championships, maintaining rules for competition and ratifying records. It also selec ...

National Cross Country for the sixth time in seven years. Freya was the second fastest British woman at the 2012 Virgin London Marathon in her first marathon while aiming to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. She was subsequently awarded a place due to the withdrawal of the injured

Paula Radcliffe Paula Jane Radcliffe Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 17 December 1973) is a British former long-distance runner. She is a three-time winner of the London Marathon (2002, 2003, 2005), three-time New York Marathon champion (2004, 2007, 200 ...

. She was the first British athlete home in 44th place in a time of 2:32:14. She has written and self published a recipe book called 'Food on the Run' detailing what her diet is like as a runner. It is a collection of some of her favourite recipes and gives an insight into the kind of food an athlete eats. It demonstrates that recipes do not need to be complicated and include obscure ingredients to be nutritious. Freya lives in Larbert, Scotland with her husband and daughter and works as an Event Coordinator. She previously worked as a structural engineer for Cundall LLP, before a spell as a full-time athlete. Freya received an

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University () is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by roya ...

in 2014.
Heriot-Watt University, 2015

Food on the Run Recipe Book

Food on the Run will give you an insight into the eating habits of an Olympic marathon runner. The recipes are easy to follow, tasty and nutritious making them relevant for anyone wanting to eat a balanced diet.

Personal bests

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilomet ...

– 4:15.85 min (2005) *

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000 m sho ...

– 9:08.97 min (2009) *

– 15:26.5 min (2010) *

– 32:23.44 min (2010) * 10k road - 32:28 min (2009) (Sheffield) *

Half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

- 1 hour 11 min 51 seconds (2013) (Glasgow) *

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

– 2 hours 28 min 12 seconds (2012) (London)

References

External links

*
Official website
Living people 1983 births Athletes from Edinburgh Scottish female long-distance runners British female long-distance runners Scottish female middle-distance runners British female middle-distance runners Scottish female marathon runners British female marathon runners Olympic female long-distance runners Olympic athletes for Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games athletes for Scotland Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games British Athletics Championships winners 21st-century Scottish sportswomen {{Scotland-athletics-bio-stub