Ellie Pashley in Tokyo

Local athlete Ellie Pashley takes us inside the Tokyo Olympic Games

By Penny Edmanson

We were lucky enough this year to have our very own local participant in the Tokyo Olympics. Ellie Pashley, a resident of Aireys Inlet and physiotherapist in Torquay, took part in the women’s marathon, running a commendable 23rd out of 88 participants from 44 nations.

Ellie always loved running but it wasn’t until 2015 that she transitioned from social running and cross-country events and started preparing for a marathon under the coaching of Julian Spence –another local.

In late 2016 she ran her debut marathon in Melbourne. Fast forward to June of 2021 and she had been selected for her first Olympic Games. One of only three women to qualify for the team, Ellie credits Julian with her development from an okay runner to Olympic level. ‘Julian and his wife Bri were a huge help to me in the build-up. We spent a lot of time away training together in Queensland. They rode and ran all sessions with me and spent a long time away from home to help me prepare. Jules saw more of my training than he’d ever seen so it was probably a good learning experience for both of us.

Aireys Inlet resident Ellie Pashley raced in the Women’s Marathon in Tokyo this year. ‘He was also instrumental in setting up all of my heat acclimatisation work and ensuring I did it properly. His attention to detail is second to none, and I think this was extremely important with such a hot marathon where there are so many extra variables to consider.

‘He was back home for the last few weeks of my training but by then all of the hard work was done,’ said Ellie.

A COVID impacted world meant a very different Olympics from those that past athletes have experienced. During preparation and training Ellie was faced with a lack of racing opportunities, gym closures that meant she was unable to do her usual strength training and limited chances to train in a group. However, she considers herself fortunate compared to athletes in other sports as she could still run. ‘I have a very nice radius near my house for running so it really wasn’t too difficult.

4 ‘I spent the last few months in Queensland adapting to the heat so we had a little more freedom up there for training.’

The Japanese Olympic Committee had a huge number of measures in place to try and keep both the athletes and the Japanese public safe. This meant the team was in a form of lockdown even at the holding camp in Cairns, where they could train but were not allowed to go out to restaurants or have any contact with the public. They had daily COVID tests leading up to departure and once they arrived in Japan. Arriving at the airport in Tokyo involved five to six hours of processing and testing before they were even allowed into the country.

The location of the marathons was moved north, from Tokyo to Sapporo in an attempt to get cooler conditions. Ironically the two cities turned out to have almost the same temperature on the day, as Sapporo recorded 25 °C at 6am when the race started, and it reached 29°C at 8:30am.

Stringent restrictions continued in Sapporo with the athletes only leaving their hotel to attend the training venue, which was an old speed-skating rink. Once they had raced, they flew back to Tokyo for a couple of days in the village, before flying home for two weeks hotel quarantine in Brisbane. Ellie loved the Olympic village life. ‘I think it’s what you dream about as a kid, being in the Olympic village with athletes from all over the world.’

‘And even though we weren’t allowed to leave the village it was so big that it really didn’t feel too restricted in there. It’s like an entire town. All of the countries have their own apartment building and common areas, there’s a shopping area, a couple of food halls, and lots of activity.

‘The rules inside the village were pretty strict though, so we weren’t really allowed to socialise with people from other nations. Luckily there were times when we were in the same place and could mix to a degree, such as the training venue for the marathon where we could run with people from other countries so I got to meet plenty of the world’s top marathoners including the American Molly Seidel who won bronze.

‘It was good to be back in the village for a couple of days at the end too when the atmosphere was fairly relaxed, as everyone had finished their events and was enjoying the final few days of the Olympics. The Boomers were in the village then and had just won their medal so we got to meet them.

‘The village was a real highlight for me and I’d love to go back and experience that again in different times. The food in the dining hall was amazing and just the buzz around the whole village, and being around so many of the best athletes in the world was really special for a sports fan like myself.’ One of the disappointments (inevitable because of COVID) was the separation of the athletes from the real Japan. As Ellie says, ‘There was no sightseeing apart from the race itself, where we got to run around Sapporo and see some of the city’. Mixing with other athletes was also forbidden. ‘We were supposed to keep ourselves within small groups within our team. This was especially important pre-race because if you were considered a contact of a COVID case you risked not being able to compete.’ Another hardship was not having the support of family and friends. ‘I left home in May and returned back at the end of August. I got so see my husband for a few stints within this time, but I didn’t get to see him for the last seven weeks. I coped okay, it’s a long time to be away from home, but with the big focus being on the Olympics it went quite quickly. The toughest bit was quarantine at the end when all you want to do is to get home and see family,’ explained Ellie.

Curfews on the locals meant that it didn’t feel a lot like the Olympics until race day. However, Ellie points out that ‘being a part of the Olympic marathon in a country where marathon running is very popular was an amazing experience. We were lucky to have some spectators for our race too, which created the atmosphere you need to get you through a hot marathon.’ ‘The race was so much fun. It was extremely hot, up into the low 30s and high humidity. But Julian and I had prepared really well for the heat in case it was worst-case scenario. And I felt confident going into it that I’d done everything I could. It’s still pretty nerve wracking running a marathon in those conditions. But yeah, I was pleasantly surprised with how I felt for most of the race, and really got to enjoy my first Olympic experience.

‘I survived, and managed to kick the pace down a little in the last 10km. I would have loved to have finished a few places higher, but I’m also really happy that I raced the way I did and got through it unscathed. The atmosphere was great out on course – I’m sure nowhere near as loud as a normal Olympics without cheering and due to spectators being discouraged from going, but they were still lining the course and clapping. And our support staff were a welcome sight at every drink station on course with lots of encouragement.

Local resident Ellie Pashley has always loved running and now performs at the elite level.

‘So I loved every second of it. And felt a huge sense of relief when it was done.’

With an Olympic experience now under her belt, Ellie is keen to have another go at it and says she hopes to take a few more risks next time round. The bonus is she only has three years to wait!