Sheffield's Calli Hauger-Thackery vows return after Chicago marathon exit
Hallamshire Harrier Calli Hauger-Thackery is taking a breather after a gruelling year that has seen her compete in 14 events across several countries.
The 32-year-old failed to finish the Chicago Marathon last weekend.
Injury forced her to pull out 16 miles into the 26.2-mile course in the Windy City.
The pain she endured was similar to what she suffered at the Paris 2024 Olympics, she said later.
Posting on Instagram, she wrote: "Not the Chicago post I wanted to be posting but I made the right call to not finish.
"As hard as it is to make those calls, I have to protect my body when it’s fighting the way it was.
"I know the difference at this point in my career as to what true exhaustion feels like...and my body said a hard, fat 'No.'"
She explained, "I made the call close to 16 miles in, as I was getting severe pains shooting down my leg. (Very similar to what I was going through in Paris). Never fun or easy.
"I’ve found it really hard to get adjusted here Stateside and ideally needed a bit more time if I wanted to pull off a 26.2 post-World Championships on the track", she said, referring to the 10,000 metre race in Japan, last month.
Britain’s second fastest female marathon runner ever said she had "No regrets in giving it a bloody good go though."
And she's not obsessing on the negatives.
"It is not all doom and gloom; I’m so beyond thankful to my support system who back me throughout the good and the bad.
"I’ve ultimately asked so much of my body this year with a crazy schedule and time-zone hopping; left, right and centre.
"I will be taking a little reset in order to let my mind and body repair."
Ethiopian Hawi Feysa won the Chicago race in 2:14:56, slashing more than two minutes off her personal best.
Calli, from Killamarsh and a former Eckington High School pupil, hasn't turned her back on the Illinois event for good.
There had been some inspiring performances, she said.
She wrote: "I’ll be back to Chicago with a vengeance because it truly is a spectacular marathon! To be continued… #delayedbutnotdenied."