“When you’re running as many miles as we do, recovery and limiting impact is a huge factor,” says Ieuan Thomas. “Road running places huge forces through your body on a daily basis, and that can take its toll as the mileage cumulates.

Running off-road can be a huge physiological help by taking some of that impact away. Plus, it gives you a much-needed mental break from the monotony of the roads and traffic.”

Celebrated coach James Thie feels he is “so lucky to have a brilliant trail system on my doorstep, and it’s one of the reasons why at 42, I’m still able to run pain free every day.”

“Road running can be very hard on the joints,” continues the man behind Thomas’ and Marshall’s sessions. “Off-road surfaces can help absorb some of these forces. Plus the other benefits are off-road normally means getting out into the countryside with great scenery and escaping the worry of paces and distances.”

Sessions you can do off road

Almost any session that you do on-road, you can also do off-road. The emphasis may just change slightly. You won’t be hitting track times when you’re off road, but the effort is the same. All three recommended similar sessions, maybe because of Thie’s influence on his athletes.

1. Long Hills – a staple of our winter training are what we call ‘Kenyan hills’. A copy of what the best runners in Kenya do in Eldoret. 75 seconds up, 1 min 45 back down x 10-15.

It’s a hard burn up the hill, and then not letting off to come back down. It challenges your body to be able to produce power when you’re tired, and promotes your body to recovery whilst still running at a reasonable pace back down. It’s a tasty one.

2. Fartlek runs – off-road trails are perfect for changes of pace, and lend themselves perfectly to unstructured fartlek. Attack each hill as you come to it, relax through winding sections, pick up the pace again on any flat sections.

Pick a tree and go hard until you reach it – the possibilities are endless. You’re basically keeping your body guessing, and the benefits can be massive.

Photo: Saucony UK

The different training effect trail running has to road running

“The main difference with trail running is that you have to focus a little more” says Thomas. “Road running is mostly predictable, it’s flat ground with turns you can see well in advance.

Trails aren’t always like that, they keep you guessing. This not only makes for a more enjoyable run (that will go by much faster) but also changes the run’s emphasis from pure aerobic endurance to more strength and stability, alongside the aerobic work.”

Plus, you get to explore new places and the trio share their favourite places in south Wales to hit the dirt.

Merthyr Mawr sand dunes is used by the group once a month or so and can be a really tough, but rewarding session.

It works completely different muscles to what you usually use during sessions, and helps to strengthen any weaknesses that you might have in these muscles. The session is beyond brutal though! A lactic filled mix of steep dunes, longer sand reps, and short, sharp sprints,” smiles Marshall. “Always a lovely cool down into the sea after though.”

Saucony ambassadors Ieaun Thomas, Tom Marshall and James Thie sometimes run on the trails in the Saucony Peregrine 10, Saucony’s flagship trail running shoe. Find out more here.

The post Rhedeg llwybr (we hope that’s Welsh for trail running) appeared first on Fast Running.

In the first part of our interview Thie explained the importance of being adaptable in order to guide and support athletes through an incredibly Challenging year. We pick up where we left off with a Team Thie man who has had a stunning year.

Stellar year for Smith

Jake Smith is one of James Thie’s athletes who has had a stellar year. Smith clocked a phenomenal 60:31 at the World Half Marathon Championships in Poland last month, but what are the coaching secrets behind his success?

“Jake has been a relatively logical journey. He came to Cardiff Met (university) having done a lot or unstructured training and he was sort of a maverick looking after himself, so the simple thing from a coaching point of view was giving him structure.

The other thing he lacked was leg turnover. He had a massive engine and the legs just couldn’t keep going. We worked on short hills for his running economy. He was chasing the guys, and getting blown out the back, but he kept coming back.

 

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In the first year he couldn’t quite work out recovery, everything had to be done hard and if he wasn’t working hard, he felt he could’ve done better. In the first summer he was toast with thee or four races to go and they kept getting progressively worse, so we decided to give him 10 days of absolutely no running.

After one day back, he did the classic, can I do a local 5k next week? He ran a 20 second personal best. It showed him that all that training came into play and rest and recovery became a key smart focus.”

Early step up

“He also made the journey to half marathon relatively early. He ran 64 minutes as a second year, and we just found a distance that he really identified with, and his mechanics/how he runs just clicks.

He ran 62 minutes last November and then 60:30 at the world half this year. His progression has been staged, so the sessions have remained the same but got quicker, the volume has gradually gone up, and structure has been important.

Jake has an amazing pain tolerance and ability to switch off and focus, but he is so innocent when he races. He went through 10k in 28:20, which is phenomenally fast, but he was just enjoying it and willing to see how hard he could go. I just want him to remain as honest and innocent to that type of running as possible.”

King of consistency

Thie says consistency has been a true factor in contributing to Smith’s success. Could the longer period of uninterrupted training over lockdown have been the reason so many athletes are performing well. Here’s what the Cardiff-based coach has to say.

“This is absolutely individual… I could probably put people in both camps and in between. The shape people have got into have been absolutely phenomenal. For some, it meant when racing came back around that we had slightly overcooked it, but it’s hard to get it 100% right when you don’t know when races are.

I have learnt this from the first pandemic, that you just have to be patient. Some had a couple of hits with racing and got PB’s every time, others just weren’t feeling the desire to race when it did come around. For some it went well, but for others it didn’t go to plan.

No athlete is the same, but what did surprise me was how positive a lot of athletes were, and it was actually running that kept people mentally in a good place and got them through lockdown. I’ve had no one quit running from lockdown.”

Impact on youth

For some, this period of long training has meant saying goodbye to key age-group success stories, but could this be a source of inspiration?

“I feel sorry for the younger age groups. You are only a top U17, U20, U23 once, and for some people you only get one chance at that Euro Cross or age group championships, or even English Schools, and some people haven’t had this.

For some of our university students it has been very hit and miss with everything since March, from family life, to academics, to training, and they have had the toughest experience of most, so it is important to create a positive environment for those coming to us.

It was great to see some of them thriving off being in a group on the track again rather than going around the streets on their own. I just feel the longer we aren’t allowed to compete properly, the longer we aren’t able to give people those opportunities they need. This may be the thing that decides whether they keep going or give up on the sport.”

However, this is a learning curve, says Thie, “We have amazing role models, who have had numerous setbacks, so we can learn from them. The pandemic has allowed us to appreciate the finer things in the sport. It is just turning the psychology and not dwelling on things too much, but accepting it is ok to feel drained and a bit helpless at times because of the situation. Everything is out of our control and very frustrating.

If there are dips in training it may not be down to training, it may be mental tiredness. My athletes over Christmas are just going to have a week or so where it is a little less structured, as you don’t want to get run down over Christmas, especially when you are mixing with others. It will be a nice chance to get out, not worry whether there is a track nearby or a good hill. It will give people a chance to get out and run, but be ready to go for 2021, which is still going to be a big year.”

Friends in the sport

We asked James if being international athlete, has given him a level of unteachable knowledge that has allowed him to progress as a coach?

“I was lucky as an athlete as I maximised by experience in the sport, which maybe cost me some of my performance. Others were focused on their own performance, but I made a lot of friends, but that has put me in good stead now as I know people all over the world. They are friends for life, and we link in and learn from each other.

Having been an international athlete it gives me an insight into major championships and training with some of the best athletes and coaches. My last coach was Mark Roland (Oregon TC head coach), so I learnt from some of the best. It was helpful in teaching me that there is no magic wand, there is no short cut, it is all about hard work over long, long periods of time.

Having athletes of all abilities, event groups, genders, distances, has allowed me to learn about volume but also individual quality. Volume is so important for the aerobic base, but thoroughbreds need a good amount of quality work too.

We need those key ingredients, but with individual tweaks. When you get this right as a coach, and you have tweaked it and made it absolutely right, this is when you pat yourself on the back as a coach.”

Privileged relationship

As a coach, a lot of athletes put their sporting futures in your hands and trust you to aid their progression. Thie tells us how important this is to him.

“I feel so privileged when an athlete asks me to coach them. There is a real quality in someone trusting you enough that they believe you can help them, so I am always open to helping those who I think I can. I don’t think there is a much better feeling.

When our sport goes well it is great, but then on the flip side, when it doesn’t go quite so well, when athletes are injured, ill or not performing, those are the ones that keep me up at night. If I can turn that around, that is the biggest satisfaction.

When you bring someone back from injury, or recover their enjoyment for the sport, those are the coaching gems. I love a challenge, but it’s the ones you have helped make and made believe in themselves that I get most satisfaction from, rather than polishing a Rolls Royce as such.”

A busy year ahead

2021 is going to be a year to remember (hopefully), and one where many of us are hoping to make developments. How does the coach of TeamThie hope to progress?

“I never stop learning, and I am doing a taught doctorate in sports coaching. I am two thirds (3 years) into that. So alongside my family, a full time job, coaching, articles, and circuits, that pushes my academic limit. It allows me to have an introspective look at endurance running as a coach, and I would love to publish that and help other coaches who have multiple roles and responsibilities.

I am continuing to learn and develop, so those of my athletes that ever complain about working late into the evening, I am with them there doing the same thing. I am lucky to push myself athletically and mentally, but I enjoy being on that limit and pushing myself in all ways to develop as a coach.”

We know that whatever 2021 brings James, and the athletes he coaches, will be are the forefront of British distance running.

Want to run faster? For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community.

If you would like more information on joining the project, click here. 

The post A year of contrasts appeared first on Fast Running.

James Thie is the current World Masters Indoor Champion over the 800m, 1500m & 3000m and was 4th in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 2004.  He is now helping others to become the best they can be.

As head performance coach for endurance at Cardiff Met University he coaches both students, up-coming athletes and established runners. Many of his athletes have achieved international status and with James’ guidance are continuing to flourish.

Orchestrating through the chaos

As an athlete it has been tough at times training without knowing what exactly you are working towards, but for the coaches out there it has been even tougher. They have had to orchestrate training and set athletes in the right direction, without any specific targets to structure training towards.

James Thie has first-hand experience adjusting to the times for his athletes.

He says “It is still that mentality of keeping athletes happy and healthy, and bubbling over at 95%. For some it is a good opportunity to push on a bit as there is less pressure. There is no absolute trial race and less travelling to cause stress, so for some they can extend training.

Now is a real opportunity for those that focus and stay positive, when they come out the other end, to make big steps. People are making underground progressions that we aren’t aware of. We aren’t witnessing the jumps people are making as there are no races to see their progress. It is going to be an exciting few years to see who has made that jump, because I think there will be some people who do make that big transition.”

Adaptability is key

Thie is the Director of Athletics at Cardiff Met University, so knows exactly how student-athletes have been coping. We asked him how the pandemic has affected their training and wellbeing.

“Going back to March, everyone was in the same boat. It all came on pretty quickly, with the pandemic, lockdown, and the shutdown of the summer racing season. We are lucky as endurance runners that we could adapt pretty quickly. One thing I really noticed, is the way it affected jumpers, throwers, and sprinters, where facilities are fundamental.

The distance runners I coach were able to adapt more easily. There were no tracks or gyms, but I adapted training to this. I started doing online circuits, time trials and different challenges. I definitely saw the way it impacted different people. There was and is also the impact of Covid-fatigue (the mental effect of the pandemic).

Some people were desperate to race when lockdown was lifted, whereas others just didn’t feel there mentally. I think the main challenge came in September and October, when we had expected things to be getting better, but they were in fact getting worse. The lack of planning and motivation was setting us backwards, and all over the place. As a coach you look at races to form blocks, but we’ve been in limbo and uncertainty.”

Editors note – You can catch up with James’ widly popular circuit sessions over at the Team Thie YouTube Channel.

 

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The power of good company

Something lockdown has really done for all of us, is cause us to appreciate the things we took for granted.

“In Wales at the moment,” says Thie, “we can now train on the track in groups, and all athletes were buzzing off it. We truly missed this. We never thought we wouldn’t be able to get on a track, or go to the gym, or train in groups, but it has really made us appreciate these small things.

For some of the guys, getting back on the track was like Christmas. It really showed some why they run and why they compete, but for others it has been really tough, specifically other sports.”

Being present, virtually

In the current climate, when a lot of things seem to be virtual, maintaining communication is vital. James told us how he keeps in touch with all his athletes and ensures they stayed engaged.

“I am lucky, but it also makes things tough at times, but I do look after a lot of athletes. I use the Training Peaks app, as I can see people’s training when it pops up if their watch is linked to it. I can see their adaptation to training, their speeds and heart rates for efforts. However, that interaction is key.

Even those that live near to me, I only see them once or twice a week, so receiving feedback after sessions or runs is helpful. For a lot of athletes, it depends on their personality. If some are quiet that is not good, but for others, if they’re quiet it just means they are getting on with it. It is about touching base and having at least a couple of moments of contact in each week. It is important to keep tweaking and monitoring things.”

Winter fortune

“We are in a fortunate period at the moment where everyone is similarly progressing, whether they are an 800m/1500m runner, or half marathon and beyond.

There are certain key ingredients at the moment, such as shorter hills, longer hills, long reps, short reps and just tweaking it depending on the athletes training load, development, or competition calendar over the next couple of months.

It is less complicated now, but it gets more complicated after Christmas when training becomes a lot more bespoke for everyone as they are all racing. Some are racing indoors, some on the road, some cross country, others want to peak in March or are chasing Olympic qualifiers. I need to be careful with athletes depending on the feedback I receive and how they are coping with the changes.

It is about tweaking it so people don’t get over fatigued or leave good sessions in training. For example, Jake Smith, he had to peak on that exact day (World Half), and it was the only race in sight, so we had to plan for that day, and that is when it gets more specific and complicated.”

…and on that note we shall leave this half of our interview. Catch the second half this week where Thie discusses Smith’s progression, the impact of COVID-19 on young athletes and what 2021 will bring him personally.

Want to run faster? For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community.

If you would like more information on joining the project, click here. 

The post Orchestrating through the Chaos appeared first on Fast Running.

The U23 athlete had an astounding run on the track over the 10,000m distance. Smith’s official PB stands at 29:01, but his 28:00 time trial suggests the 2021 Tokyo Olympics may be in sight.

Smith was helped along by the pacing and support of his fellow Cardiff club mates. You can relive his fabulous run on his Instagram feed.

Cross training gains

I spoke to Smith about how his training had changed in the build-up to the time trial as a result of lockdown. He told us,

“As we were only allowed out once, I introduced some cross training into my training. I bought a cross trainer (elliptical) and an indoor turbo bike. On normal double days instead, I would do a single run and either a turbo or elliptical in the evening.

I enjoyed this type of training so much as it was different plus it puts less stress on the body. I also introduced shorter reps to try and increase my leg turnover so for longer races the pace should hopefully feel slightly easier.”

Top pacing

Building up to the time trial Smith remarked

“I had done some good sessions but didn’t think I would ever get close to 28 minutes. From my training all I wanted to do was break 28:20 as I feel that is a massive achievement and barrier.

Fortunately, the pacers (Ciaran Lewis, James Heneghan and John Howorth) were amazing and hit every split exactly right. When I went through 5k in 13:59 I knew I was running quicker than I ever had done and just tried to hold that pace for as long as possible.”

Race prep

Due to the absence of official racing, Smith prepared for the time trial as if it was his own personal race. He didn’t put too much pressure on the situation and relaxed into enjoying the event;

“I prepared for the 10km time trial exactly like a race. It was a lot more chilled compared to a race as I had my best mates pacing and supporting me. I only ran 4 miles the day before then on the day of the time trial went for a small jog in the morning before just relaxing for the majority of the day.

When I got to the track, I just stayed relaxed and started when the track was less busy. After initially being disappointed with his finishing time, it then sunk in what he had actually achieved!”

 

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Am so happy with my 10k TT last night running 28:00.5 on the track. Couldn’t have asked for better pacers @ciaranlewis97 @jamesheneghan and @john_howorth . Wouldn’t have been able to run that time without them. Now for a few days of rest before starting the next block of training!!!

A post shared by Jake Smith (@jakesmith_lsdp) on Jul 2, 2020 at 11:30am PDT

Tough final 3km

I asked Smith how he felt throughout the ‘race’ itself;

“For the first 7km I felt amazing. Ciaran Lewis was running anywhere from 400m-800m, trying to jump in when he thought was best to do and the other two, James Heneghan and John Howorth, were swapping at every 800m.

Up until the 7km mark I felt quite relaxed, although with about 7 laps to go I really started to struggle and was asking the pacers to slow down at times. Unfortunately, my 9th km was the slowest which wouldn’t have helped at all. When I crossed the finish line at first, I was gutted as I just missed out on breaking 28 minutes. Then about 30 minutes after the time trial I was so happy and could not believe what I had just achieved.”

Setting sights high

The time trial itself has left Jake hungry for more, with goals previously seen as unrealistic now within his reach. It would have placed Jake 9th on the all-time U23 list for 10,000m, and only 14 seconds off placing at the top of the list. As it stands, the Olympic qualifying time is 27:28, therefore Smith needs to knock 1.28 seconds per lap of the track to hit the mark.

Whilst it is still considered a big chunk to knock off at that level, Smith’s progress appears to be rapidly improving, and in a race environment, who knows what he could be capable of. Smith qualified for the World Half Marathon Championships in Poland at the Big Half earlier this year, clocking 62:00 and breaking the British U23 half marathon record.

 

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3rd place at Big Half, 2nd Brit in a new pb time of 62:00. Never thought I’d be standing on a podium with these two @hamudphotos @jrhodesathletics @officialbighalf

A post shared by Jake Smith (@jakesmith_lsdp) on Mar 1, 2020 at 11:11am PST

Due to the pandemic, the World Half was postponed to October, therefore Smith has plenty of time to get himself in PB shape for his senior GB debut. I asked him about his future goals and whether he is aiming for Olympic qualification after the World Half;

“In terms of goals moving forwards, I have the World Half Marathon Champs in October and I really do want to run a quick time there.I really want to run a quick 5km and after this half marathon I am thinking of coming down distances and giving myself a shot at anywhere from 3000m-10,000m.

Seeing that qualification standard (Olympic) has really motivated me and after the half marathon I am thinking of focusing more on the 10k. I will sit down with my coach James Thie and discuss the best possible training needed to run that time.

I don’t think I would be where I am today without his guidance. He made a joke after the time trial saying all you need to do is run 1.28 seconds quicker each lap, so I guess I have to try that.”

There are some exciting times ahead of Jake, but to make us all feel better, he did say he struggled to walk the next day!

Want to run faster? For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community.

If you would like more information on joining the project, click here. 

The post Storming Smith has a little help from his friends appeared first on Fast Running.

I’m sure every athlete and coach has their favourite or ‘go-to’ workout for different distances. Most are borrowed, or personally tried and tested.

I wish they guaranteed a fast time, but there is always more to it, than just one session. But, if you’re looking for some hand me down sessions, here’s a couple of my mine you can have. Pass them on if you like!

My belief is that to have confidence in your race day pacing plan… you need to train at goal pace. The way to best do this is through interval sessions, with breaking down the race distance.

Here are a couple of simple session suggestions for 5km and 10km distance.

Saucony UK and James Thie coached athlete Tom Marshall literally flying to a finish line. Photo: Robert Gale (@awv)

5km:

Session 1: 4 to 5 day before race day: 5 x 1km aim @ 3 to 5 seconds under goal pace.

• 16min aim or under: 2mins rest after each 1km.

• 16 to 20min aim:  2.5mins rest after each 1km.

• 20min plus aim:  3mins rest after each 1km.

Session 2: To sharpen for important track 5km race, 5 to 7 days before race day: 3 sets of 1200m (@2sec per 400m faster than goal 5km pace)  then 400m @1500m/mile pace.

• 16mins or under aim: 1min rest after 1200m & 4mins after 400m.

• 16 to 20mins aim: 90secs rest after 1200m & 5mins after 400m.

• 20mins plus aim: 2min rest after 1200m & 5mins after 400m.

Going a little longer

10km:

Session 1: 12-14 days before race day: 10 x 1km @ your goal race pace.

• 33mins or under aim: 60secs rest after each 1km.

• 34 to 40mins aim: 75secs rest after each 1km.

• 40mins plus aim: 90secs rest after each 1km.

Session 2: 9-12 days before race day:

• 33mins or under aim: 7 x 4mins with 90secs rest after each rep.

• 34 to 40mins aim:  6 x 5mins with 2mins rest after each rep.

• 40mins plus aim: 5 x 6mins with 3mins rest after each rep.

For more 10km chat… join me on the 9th June @7pm for a Welsh Athletics Webinar. Aimed at all athletes and coaches looking to grow their knowledge of art of 10k training and racing.

The webinar won’t just be about single sessions but cover a much wider look at the 10k distance. This will include:

• Explore the physical and mental components required to run a 10k.

• Discuss training for a 10k including session examples and training block planning.

• Explore 10k race preparation.

• Dissect the executing the race.

Saucony UK ambassador James Thie is supporting the launch of the Endorphin Pro. He is also hosting home-based circuit training sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6pm. You can find the sessions here. 

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post James Thie’s go-to 5 & 10k sessions appeared first on Fast Running.

The crowd lean over the barriers and Bud Baldaro’s recognisable tones informs everyone that the winning team is on the final climb to the finish. It is the blue, red and white of Cardiff AAC and the athlete with this honour is Christian Stephenson.

Anyone in the know of the 1990s running scene has respect for Chris or ‘Snappy’ as he’s known to his teammates. These teammates are going wild on the side-lines and Christian does his best ‘airplane’ impression for most of the final 200m! His time is 16:28 and is the fastest of the day, this is a moment of enjoyment, but still ‘what if’ or ‘how fast’ he could have run if he had to!

Back: Christian Stephenson, Nat Lane, Nicky Commerford & Scott Olson. Front: James Thie, Richard Gardiner & Andres Jones.

Fast forward 20 years and 3 days and we are back together as a team. We are minus a few, some are unable to make it, but a great chance to catch-up, chat and remember some funny stories from the past. This got me thinking about that amazing day, but also what we ended up achieving in running and where we are now.

The one thing that stands out straight away is how much we wanted to win that day, and how much we talked about it in the months before. This was not luck or chance but a planned, calculated attempt at doing something our club had not done before, and we did it … but how … ?

The reunion, Nat, Chris, James, Richie & Scott

How it played out leg by leg

Leg 1) James Thie

Myself playing the youngster! Well, in the team, I was by comparison aged only 21, and felt privileged and pressured that they trusted me the first leg. That summer, I was 5th in the British senior 1500m World Trials after taking bronze indoors, so I was used to producing on the big day, plus I had a bit of speed to be in the mix if needed.

The aim was to be as close to the top 10 as possible on the always ‘loaded’ first leg and hopefully within 20-30 seconds of the lead. I don’t remember much of the race, but I knew I was around the big teams that would be in the final mix as I out kicked Paul Freary (Belgrave) and was closing in on Ian Pierce (Tipton) to cross in 14th place, with 17:20, 32secs off Birchfield’s Matt Clarkson in pole position.

Leg 2) Andres Jones

Andres Jones is a cracking athlete to have on the 2nd leg, as he was just a few months away from a massive breakthrough in the summer of 2000 when he runs an incredible 90 second personal best to hit the Olympic 10000m standard with 28.00.

He also won the 5000m trials, in a real purple path that season. 17:11 on this stage cuts through 10 places into 4th and only four seconds off the black vests of Birchfield. It was a great run by Andres who now resides in North Wales as a driving instructor which doesn’t surprise me. He was always calm and cool and I’m sure he still is! Unfortunately he was not able to make the reunion.

Leg 3) Richie Gardner

Richie ‘Dickie’ Gardner is now a high ranking policeman and doing great things alongside his wife at his local athletics club, Aberdare AC. He has a 2:18 marathon best and gold at the Commonwealth trial running championships (with today’s teammate Nat Lane in Silver), but say’s eight minute miles are tough at 45 years young, but he is still racing, as I am sure he always will!

So on the third leg he was right in the mix of the race taking over in 4th place and battling to a 17:35 leg split with just Tipton’s Matt Smith edging past. But up front, Darrius Burrows, another 90’s ‘super talent’, cracks round in 16:51 and extends the stage lead at the half way point.

Leg 4) Nicky Commerford

Next up, one of those people in life who is fascinating to know … an enigma ‘on’ and ‘off’ the track (but he is away in Vienna during the reunion – keeping his mystery alive!). Nicky Commerford is an art teacher who on that day helped to create the canvas for the Cardiff AAC masterpiece!

This is no surprise to those in the know as Nicky is a 3:42 1500m athlete who went on to represent Great Britain in major international cross-country championships and is equally strong on the road. A 17:02 leg took us back past Tipton’s Mick Hill and up to 2nd place but still 22 second behind Birchfield…there was still work to be done.

Leg 5) Nat Lane

Nat Lane is the brains and the hard worker who got us all together for the reunion. A super smart guy who works in law, and is one of the nicest people you could hope to meet. Nice off the track, but ruthless when a shift is needed on it, and will still make himself available for relays.

Going into this leg he had personal bests of 13:58 for 5km and 29:01 for 10km, so a huge runner to have on the penultimate stage of the race. Nat runs 17:10 and goes past Birchfield but it’s the super human leg of 16:44 by Nick Jones of Tipton that keeps Cardiff off the top spot. The green and white hooped vests had a 26 second on us….but was that enough?

Leg 6) Christian Stephenson

Christian ‘Snappy’ Stephenson takes over, his nickname not given as some think for his often bluntness (he always said what he thought!) but for his stature when younger when it was thought he may ‘snap’ in the wind! He is not going to snap now…he is a flanker in his local rugby side and loving his work as a school caretaker, a great job for someone I always knew as super reliable and practical.

This athlete in 1999 was strong and one Britain’s best on any surface. As UK steeplechase champion he was to front run that summer 8:25 in the Solihull BMC to earn his Olympic berth. To have him as your friend and training partner (twice a day, almost every day for 2 years) is the best apprenticeship I could ever have wished for. He had everything, speed 22/23’s 200’s at the end of sessions, and strength where he could float over the grass and uphill like few I’ve seen since.

The past and present

At the reunion, I remind him of the one time I managed to drop him, when we ran up the big hill to my university halls of residence. He stormed in my room, grabbed his stuff without eye contact and said ‘same place, same time tomorrow’…what had I done!

The next day Chris says nothing, and we set off on the same run, but this time we are shifting in pace from the start. Faster, faster and a bit more and we hit a similar hill … bang he goes, and flies up. He stands there waiting at the top until I finally reach him.

He looks me in the eye and says ‘never try and drop me again, as if you do, it will come back 10 times’! He was right, it was a vital lesson and I still remind myself of that when I see athletes racing in training.

The speed I witnessed up that hill had the same intensity and powerful strides that I could see flying towards me, just 50m from the National 6 stage finishing line. The team sprint to the finishing line enjoying the moment together as a real team…we did it, and we won it!

The results from 1999

Scott Olson was willing to travel as reserve that day and even though he was not needed he was a young athlete that was inspired to take on a US scholarship and continue his athletic development. Now a well-respected electrician in Cardiff, he remembers fondly being part of that team.

We did think that day that we would or could rule for a number of years. But as every club knows in relation to 6 and 12 stage relays, getting your best team out rarely happens and if it does, you must celebrate. The next year the same team was ready a week out, but Andres was sadly involved in a car crash, and the team had to wait until 2001 to pick up bronze medals. A few near 12 stage misses with medals but no titles and the original super 6 are gone and replaced.

Tom Marshall anchors gold in 2016

I do though feel proud that I coached many of the next generation of Cardiff runners to take back the title in 2016, including Tom Marshall and his ‘milers’ sprint finish that day. A leg of the B team for myself, was a footnote in another great day for the club.

Then and up to present year and the 2019 relays, and leg 5, sees Cardiff phenomenon Jake Smith flying up the hill towards the line, in the lead! The last leg runner…yes yours truly, but this time there are no fairy tales, I’m the only guy available and even with a World masters gold in March, combined with Snowdon marathon training, there is not enough magic left in the old legs to hold on.

4th is our finishing placing, and I feel it is a fitting time to unofficially retire from the 6 stage, as hopefully I’m never needed or wanted again in the A team!

Jake Smith in background and coach Thie in 2019.

But as we sink our beers and eat poppadums’ at the reunion, I’m happy and content and not sad it’s over. I just feel privileged to have been part of that top team in ‘99!

Author James Thie, who went on to make World, European and Commonwealth games finals, is now Director of Athletics at Cardiff Met and a respected endurance coach.

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