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Jenson Button says he considered trying to compete for Great Britain at the 2016 Olympic Games in the triathlon.

Button is known for his activities away from the race track, where he is a keen triathlete and marathon runner. His McLaren future was uncertain at the end of last season, with the team split between the 2009 world champion or Kevin Magnussen, before he secured a multi-year deal alongside Fernando Alonso.

Amidst the uncertainty Button admits the thought of competing in Rio crossed his mind, though it would have put him up against reigning Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee and his brother Jonathan. Eventually the Brit decided his age would count against him.

"I did think about Rio and then decided 'no'," Button told the Daily Mirror. "First of all I am way too old - about 10 years too old compared to the Brownlee brothers - and so it's definitely not for me. I'm a pretty good amateur athlete but anyone at the top of their game as a professional is at a completely different level to that."

Button will make his London Marathon debut later this year when he runs for Cancer Research UK a week after the Bahrain Grand Prix.

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