Mara Yamauchi is one of Britain’s most accomplished distance runners, best known for her impressive sixth-place finish in the marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics – a performance that equalled the best ever by a British woman at the Games.
Mara made her international debut for Great Britain at the 1997 European Cross Country Championships, before stepping away from elite sport to pursue a career as a diplomat. While working for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in Japan, she rediscovered her passion for running and returned to competition with remarkable success in 2003.
What followed was a meteoric rise in marathon running. Between 2005 and 2009, Mara consistently improved her times, achieving a personal best of 2:23:12 at the 2009 London Marathon – then the second-fastest time ever by a British woman. She also claimed a bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in the 10,000m and placed inside the top ten at multiple World Championships.
A highlight of her career came in 2008 when she won the Osaka Marathon, beating Olympic champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita, and went on to represent Team GB at the Beijing Olympics. Despite setbacks and injuries – including one that prevented her from competing at London 2012 – Mara showed incredible resilience, returning to fitness and even winning the New York Half Marathon.
Born in the UK but raised in Kenya until the age of eight, Mara was named after the Mara River, a nod to her early childhood and family roots in East Africa. Her background, combining elite sport with international diplomacy, gives her a unique and compelling story to share.
Now retired from competitive running, Mara inspires audiences with her journey of dedication, discipline, and reinvention – proving that it’s never too late to chase your goals and achieve greatness.
Every athlete faces tough times, whether it’s injury, defeat, or personal challenges. In this talk, our athletes open up about the adversity they have experienced and how they found the strength to bounce back. Pupils will learn about the importance of resilience, determination, and staying positive in difficult situations. These are valuable lessons they can use in school, sport, and life.
The Olympics represents the pinnacle of sport, and our athletes give a behind-the-scenes insight into what it is really like to compete or aim to compete on the world’s biggest stage. They share stories of preparation, pressure, teamwork, and pride, inspiring pupils with lessons about ambition, dedication, and chasing dreams, whatever they may be.
Having a growth mindset means believing you can improve through effort, learning, and perseverance. In this talk, our athletes explain how this way of thinking has helped them deal with setbacks, learn from mistakes, and keep improving, no matter the odds. Pupils will be encouraged to embrace challenges, stay positive, and understand that hard work and resilience lead to progress in sport and in life.
Mara’s presence really lifted the atmosphere and her speech as part of the opening ceremony was inspiring and motivational. It was great to have Mara present throughout the morning, sharing ideas with our VIPs and handing out awards to schools.
Mara spent two days at our School Games event and talked with, coached and encouraged the young athletes at all the events taking place. She was a great ambassador for sport and helped to raise the profile of the event.
Inspirational Athletes connects schools & communities with elite athletes who inspire, motivate and engage young people through talks, workshops and sports sessions.
Address:
Stratford-Upon-Avon, CV37 1RD
Phone:
020 7993 2724
Inspirational Speakers has been providing high profile keynote speakers and entertainers for over 25 years.
