RIO DE JANEIRO – Butler University coach Matt Roe was not necessarily surprised to see Callum Hawkins leading halfway through the marathon at the Olympic Games. Roe might have been the only one who was not.
Hawkins, a 24-year-old Scot who formerly ran for the Bulldogs, finished ninth Sunday in 2 hours, 11 minutes, 52 seconds. On the pre-Olympics list of marathon times this year, he ranks 103rd.
So yeah, that was a surprise.
“I went out pretty steady, then I caught the main group. They were going really, really slow so I just thought I’d maintain my own pace and ended up leading it,” Hawkins said.