Keely Hodgkinson Shares Prep Time For Short Races

British runner Keely Hodgkinson spends two hours preparing her look for just two minutes of racing on the track.

NationPulse Desk

Oct 27, 2026 · 7:16 PM 2 min read

Key takeaways

Keely Hodgkinson spends two hours getting ready for races lasting only two minutes.

She hired a makeup artist for the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham to apply blue eyeliner.

Hodgkinson won a silver medal at the European championships behind Swiss rival Audrey Werro.

She plans to target the 1983 women's 800 metres record of 1:53.28 set by Jarmila Kratochvilova next year.

She describes the pre-race call room, where athletes wait in silence for twenty to thirty minutes, as the hardest part of competing.

British running star Keely Hodgkinson spends two hours preparing her appearance for just two minutes of competition during major events, according to recent comments. The 24-year-old athlete, who triumphed in the 800 metres at the Paris Olympics two years ago, balances a passion for fashion with her athletic career.

During a conversation with school friend and Manchester United footballer Ella Toone on the Sky Sports Minus 1 social media series, the Leigh competitor discussed her beauty routines. She hired a professional to handle her hair and makeup for the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham this summer. Hodgkinson took home silver at the event behind Swiss competitor Audrey Werro. She stated, "It takes me like two hours to get ready. I have a shower. I got a makeup artist for the Europeans. I wanted to go a bit wild. So I got blue eyeliner. It was sick. But I can't do that myself. So, I got a makeup artist to do it. The pictures looked sick."

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Hodgkinson wears stilettos as comfortably as running spikes and showcased her interest in style by wearing a one-piece speed catsuit at the Athlos meet in London last month. Currently in the off-season before beginning heavy winter training blocks, she holds medals from World, European and Commonwealth competitions. Next year, she intends to pursue the 1983 women's 800 metres record of 1:53.28 established by Czech athlete Jarmila Kratochvilova in Munich. Hodgkinson holds a personal best of 1:54.33.

While speaking with Toone, the runner identified the call room holding area before events as one of the toughest parts of competition. Competitors sit together in complete silence without headphones for twenty to thirty minutes before heading to the track. Hodgkinson said, "So I'll warm up around the track and then there will be like a call room, half an hour before the race. Where you go in, you change into your spikes, put your number on, put the (race) chip in, all of that. It's just complete and utter silence with everybody else that you're racing. No headphones allowed. I feel like that's when the moments of doubt creep in the most. The half an hour or 20 minutes before when you're just sat there."

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