Abbie Donnelly

“I’m just going to stick to the pace.”

Abbie Donnelly

Biography

Born on 2 September 1996 in Lincoln, Abbie Donnelly is a British runner who has moved from cross country to the roads, and now the marathon. After winning European Cross team gold and individual bronze in 2023, she backed it up in 2024 with victory at the London International Cross Country and European team gold in the half marathon. Signed by KIPRUN for 2023, she keeps building her career on the roads.

Discipline

Track / Cross Country / Road

Race distances

5,000m / 10,000m / 10K / Half Marathon / Marathon

Nationality

🇬🇧 Great Britain

Date of birth

2 September 1996

Hometown

Lincoln

With KIPRUN since

2023

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Key highlights

European XC bronze + team gold (Brussels 2023)

She won individual bronze and helped Great Britain take team gold at the European Cross Country Championships.

London International Cross Country winner (London 2024)

She took the win at the iconic London International Cross Country, beating a strong field.

European Championships team gold (Half Marathon, Rome 2024)

Selected for the half marathon, she helped Great Britain win team gold at the European Athletics Championships.

Abbie Donnelly 2025

Latest results

Bath Half (Bath): 1st in 1:09:54; UK 10,000m Championships (Birmingham): 10th in 32:46.19; The Big Half (London): 2nd in 1:11:24; Frankfurt Marathon: 8th in 2:24:11.

London International Cross Country (London): 1st; Barcelona Half Marathon: 1:09:10; World Cross Country Championships (Belgrade): 20th; European Championships (Rome): 6th in the half marathon in 1:09:57 and team gold; Night of the 10,000m PBs (London): 10,000m in 31:45.37.

The Big Half (London): 3rd in 1:10:31; World Road Running Championships (Riga): 25th in the half marathon in 1:11:08; European Cross Country Championships (Brussels): individual bronze (34:42) and team gold; World Cross Country Championships (Bathurst): 24th (35:53).

10K (Lincoln): 31:42; 10,000m (track): 32:20.82.

5,000m (Milton Keynes): 15:42.65; 10,000m (track): 33:31.31.

Off the track, Abbie is rooted in Lincolnshire, training with Lincoln Wellington AC while doing much of her work in Loughborough under coach Rob Lewis. Alongside racing, she’s a PhD student, used to balancing high-level sport with long days built around sessions, recovery and study. After years of cross-country, she’s been steadily shifting her focus to the roads and the marathon, building her career the way she likes to train: brick by brick, day by day.

Abbie Donnelly

Abbie's gears

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