Hello! Welcome back to The Footprint – and happy Friday.

📬 Today: Fresh from the Tokyo Marathon, Thomas Eller – the first Deaf runner to run each of the six World Major marathons three times – on breaking down barriers, and fighting for inclusion.

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“As a deaf person, I’ve heard it all,” said Thomas Eller. He’s been told to be realistic; that the world wasn’t made for people like him; that he’ll always be limited. “But I refused to accept that.”

He started running as a student in Cologne, jogging around campus to stay active and clear his head. But what started as a casual hobby became a much more serious pursuit in 2018, when he crossed a start line in Jordan.

The Petra Desert Marathon is “brutal, yet breathtaking,” according to Eller, who navigated harsh elevation and terrain in scorching conditions. He didn’t just finish: he came fourth.

“That race didn’t just challenge me physically – it transformed me,” he said. Running “became my voice, my proof that I could rise above any barrier.”

Eller, 44, didn’t struggle to find more barriers to overcome. He ran the London Marathon in 2019. Berlin, Chicago, and New York City followed. He ran Boston in 2021, and in 2023 in Tokyo, became the first deaf-born person to finish all six Abbott World Marathon Majors.

“For me, this wasn’t about collecting medals,” he said. “It was about sending a message to the world, especially to the Deaf community: no matter what obstacles we face, we can break through them. We can achieve the impossible.”

Once wasn’t enough for Eller. Twice wasn’t, either. In Tokyo on Sunday, he received his third Six Star medal after finishing each of the Majors for a third time.

“This is about breaking the limits others place on us,” he said. “Every step I take is a step toward a future where every Deaf runner can dream big and achieve the impossible.”

Eller, who teaches at a school for the Deaf in Essen, Germany, wants his students “to understand that being deaf is not a limitation; it’s a strength,” he said. “Seeing their teacher compete on a global stage gives them confidence that they, too, can achieve great things.”

He has tried, time and again, to show that marathons are possible. Now he wants to make sure they’re accessible, too.

Two near-collisions with official race cars in Berlin highlighted the risks for deaf runners. “I couldn’t hear them approaching,” he said. “It made me realize just how important it is to communicate our needs visually.”

A string of major marathons, including Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York, introduced bibs for Deaf runners last year. “These bibs let everyone know we need visual communication,” Eller explained: a “simple, yet powerful” tool to mitigate danger along the course.

“We’ve made great progress, but there’s still work to be done,” he said. “We need standardized ‘Deaf Runner’ bibs at all races. We need sign language interpreters at every major marathon. We need visual start cues and emergency instructions. We need closed captioning on race content.”

Eller is also calling for a specialized category for Deaf athletes in races, in line with wheelchair athletes and visually impaired athletes. “Right now, Deaf athletes are invisible in official race results,” he said. “We exist, we compete, and we deserve recognition.”

Progress on this front has been “slow, but promising,” said Eller. He plans to continue making the case to race organizers and running industry insiders.

“Inclusion doesn’t happen by accident,” he said. “It happens when we fight for it. And I won’t stop fighting until every race is accessible, safe, and welcoming for Deaf runners everywhere.”

TOKYO HEADLINES

🥇 Sutume Kebede of Ethiopia won again. The 2024 Tokyo Marathon champion retained her title, while Tadese Takele, also of Ethiopia, claimed his first major marathon victory. Kebede finished in 2:16:31; Takele finished in 2:03:23. Full results here.

⭐️ Paula Radcliffe ran her first marathon in a decade. The former world record holder, who hopes to complete her final World Major marathon in Boston next month, finished in 2:57:26. “Smiles definitely hid the pain as I couldn’t put weight on my foot afterwards and spent at least half the race regretting setting this goal,” Radcliffe wrote on Instagram.

🎤 And Harry Styles ran, too. The pop star was spotted along the course, triggering a blizzard of media coverage. He finished with almost perfect splits in 3:24:07.

📍 Tokyo, Japan: More than 36,000 runners crossed the finish line last weekend in front of Tokyo Station.

AROUND AND ABOUT

📈 NYC Marathon applications hit a new record. More than 200,000 applications were lodged from some 150 countries, according to New York Road Runners; up 22% on last year. Between 2% and 3% are accepted.

🏟️ Two US Olympians bid to ‘save’ the 10k. After it emerged that the Night of the 10,000m PBs would not take place this year, Des Linden and Kara Goucher have announced that Save The 10,000 – an elite 10k race for 60 top athletes – will take place on May 3 in Walnut, California. "Even though the discipline is often overlooked, we think it’s one of track’s most compelling events," said Goucher.

⏱️ Coaches highlighted the gap between theory and reality. Researchers concluded a woman could break the four-minute mile barrier, raising eyebrows. “I’ve learned my lesson from the sub‑two marathon attempt to never say never,” Steve Magness told Sean Ingle in the Guardian. “But we’re still too far out.”

RECENT EDITIONS

• #04 Family Business | with marathon champion Liz McColgan

• #03 Races and Restaurants | with NYC Marathon race director Ted Metellus

• #02 Light for Lāhainā | with Six Star chaser Nate Kahaiali’i

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think: just hit ‘reply,’ or email me.

Have a great weekend.

– Callum