How long have you been running Ultras?
The TMB in 2005 was the first Ultra Trail race that I'd entered
..Before that, I did the Bob Graham Round in July 2004. If talking about road running
I entered my first Marathon in 2000 & have done two London Marathons and four Snowdon Marathons since then. March 2005 I entered a 40 mile track race in Barry (more as an excuse to visit friends in the Brecons than anything else) & on the strength of that run was selected to run for England in the 100km UK Championships in April 2005. So really
to answer the question I guess my ultra-distance running really just started last year. And more by accident than design?!
How did you get into the sport?
I've always enjoyed running
.. but it's only really over the last few years that I've started to enter races. I ran in the Snowdon Marathon in October 2004 & we were given a running magazine in the goody bag in which was an article on the TMB. I decided it sounded fun & thought it might be a good idea to enter! So really it was just by chance that I entered my first ultra-trail race! I've always loved the mountains, and spend as much time as I can in the high places - whether walking, mountaineering or ski-mountaineering. I've found I'm able to move fast on my feet in the hills - so mountain running was perhaps a natural progression?
Winning TMB is a fantastic achievement but many people had not heard of you beforehand - what was your lead-up to the race and what were your expectations?
As the King in Alice in Wonderland said, "Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop".
I had no idea whether or not to expect to even finish the race, let alone what time to aim for. My plan was just to hope I could keep going until the cut-off time and was told to stop! Over the summer I had done some alpine mountaineering and also two 4-day solo alpine treks, just bivying out at altitude (perhaps what the Americans would term 'fast packing'), and daily running has become a habit unless I'm away on an expedition. But, I had no real 'focused' training or preparation
..
What goals/targets do you have that you are prepared to share?
To run high and fast in mountains or wilderness
.
To find a balance between competitive endurance events and pursuing my mountaineering and ski-mountaineering ambitions; exploring the wilder places of our world; and somehow finding ways of sharing this with other people, and helping to open up new doors to them.
Are you interested in challenging for any of the UK 24 hour records - Bob Graham, Paddy Buckley or Charlie Ramsay?
Yes, all of them! I'd like to try for a fast BGR, and also an unsupported one (except maybe for road support). I walked myself round the Paddy Buckley round last summer as reconnaissance, and really would like to try that too.
Tell us a bit about your training - are you organised and structured or just someone who loves to run and makes time to do so....or do you pretend not to train at all?
With respect to running, it has always been something I have enjoyed, but over the last few years I have turned to it more and more, so that it has become a quite natural activity. In part this has been an antidote to not living in the hills or mountains! I've run every day for a while now
but it's really only in the last 2 months that I've tried to focus a little more; making a plan, and introducing some speed sessions. So I'm still new to the idea of focused training! In addition to my running, I am very serious about mountaineering and ski mountaineering, and spending as much time in the hills as possible, whether climbing, skiing, walking or running. I also don't have a car, so am used to being on my feet or my bike to get around!
What inspires/motivates you?
It is the mountains and wild places which are my deep love and my inspiration, and keep drawing me back.
What pays the mortgage (ie: job)
I am an environmental scientist and now work at the British Antarctic Survey, having completed a PhD in physical polar oceanography in summer 2005. So far, I've taken part in about 6 research cruises, mainly to the Southern Ocean, South Georgia and Antarctica.
If there is one race you could win or record you could set - what would you choose?
Too many dreams to decide on any one thing
Perhaps a long and fast solo / pair run in the Himalaya (of the ilk of that by Crane cousins & Helen Diamentides/Alison Wright)? Skye Ridge?
When not running I love to.....?
Be in the mountains
. or lose myself in a good book
.
Favourite book
Impossible choice! But 'Clear Waters Rising' by Nicholas Crane reminds us that you can walk out the door
and just keep walking
..
Favourite race food
Home-baked bread, some good cheese and a glass of wine
.. after the race that is!
Funniest thing that has happened to you out running
Have to have a think about this one!
Soapbox? (anything you want to rant about that is wrong in this world - toilets at races, walking poles, uncontrolled dogs ...whatever)
How disconnected society has become from the natural world
. Our environment is such a gift - mountain, wilderness, rural or urban. It just makes me sad that so many people don't ever truly experience it, or learn to love it, or realise how rich they are in it
.. The modern economic principles, and life itself sometimes, just seems to be based on more, more, more
Shouldn't we be moving towards simplicity, responsibility and sustainability
.?
