Christelle Daunay started athletics at the age of 11. She ran track races between
3000 metres and
10,000 metres,
cross country competitions, the
half marathon and
marathon. Since 2005 she has been affiliated to the
SCO Sainte-Marguerite (Marseille) ("Sports and Cultural Society of Sainte-Marguerite (Marseille)"). In February 2006 she put her career as a
physiotherapist on hold in order to prepare full-time for the
2008 Olympics in
Beijing. With her time of 2 hours 28 minutes and 24 seconds on 27 January 2008 at the
Osaka Ladies Marathon (10th place), she not only beat the previous French record established by
Chantal Dällenbach, but also qualified for the marathon in the 2008 Olympics. This was her second major marathon, her first being the
Paris Marathon in 2007 where she came third with a time of 2:28:54. She came in 20th in the women's marathon at the 2008 Olympic Games, with a time of 2:31:48. She came third in the 2009
Paris Marathon setting a new
French national record of 2:25:43, beating her previous record time set in 2008. In 2009 Daunay entered in her first
New York Marathon. She came third with a time of 2:29:16. She further improved her French record at the
2010 Paris Marathon, in which she ran a time of 2:24:22 for second place. She was the runner-up at the
Great Manchester Run in May 2011, finishing behind the home-favourite
Helen Clitheroe. A month later she took the silver medal at the
European Cup 10000m, just missing the French record with a personal best run of 31:44.84 minutes for the distance. She ran at the
Great Ireland Run in 2012 and came third. She was third at the European Cup 10000m and set a new French record for the distance with her time of 31:35.81 minutes. She was ten seconds off the 10K French road record at the
Corrida de Langueux later that month, where time of 31:48 minutes was a course record. She missed the rest of the 2012 season. Daunay began 2013 win 10K wins in Nice and Marseille and placed 35th at the
2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. She entered the Manchester Run and came third despite a fall early on. ==Achievements==