My first memory of running that stands out was a primary school sports day. I think it must have been Year 5 or 6, where we had a ‘long distance race’.

In reality it was probably about 300m, around a tree and back. I ‘outkicked’ the kid who was considered the fastest in the school. And by outkicked I mean cut him off over the last 50m. I definitely should have been disqualified!

When running became a sport. I started getting serious about running when I was 13. I did every sport offered to me in secondary school and was a pretty good basketball player, but never really trained specifically for any particular sport.

It wasn’t until I came third in a regional school’s cross country race and got selected to run for East Wales that I even thought about running being my main sport.

I was still playing local football at the time and used to run home from football matches (which was about two miles) just for fitness. I ran that regional race in a pair of football boots (one of which I lost halfway around the course), but I got the running bug.

The next week I joined Cwmbran Harriers and was fortunate enough to be coached by the late Dave Lewis who was producing some of the best young distance runners in the country at the time.

From that point on I pretty much quit taking any other sport seriously and became a runner. A few months later I had my first Welsh vest.

Why I love running. There’s just something about running that draws you in, and I don’t think it matters what level you compete at or aspire to. There’s definitely something cathartic about it, and it’s easy to see the improvements you’re making.

The main thing that really drew me into running in the first place was the simplistic, objective nature of results. You run a race and get a position or a time, and that’s what gives you a ranking.

I always found team sports far too subjective, especially when I was young and trying to be selected for regional teams etc, and you somehow missed out because the coach’s son got picked instead. I saw it all the time. But with running, for the most part if you win the trial race you get selected and I loved that simplicity.

As I’ve got older and become a more experienced athlete, running has become part of my personal identity, and it’s something that you share with the wider running community.

Photo: Paul Stillman

I get inspired more than anything by the people around me, and there’s nothing quite like seeing one of your best friends or training partners running well.

Running seems to draw people together much more than other sports, I think there’s just a level of respect as we all understand the effort and sacrifice that goes into training.

Becoming an international athlete. I’ve never been short on confidence. From day one of joining my first club, I believed I had the ability to become a GB International. Of course, I thought it was going to be over cross country at the time as that is what I seemed to be quite good at, but I always had that belief that it would happen.

If you would have asked my cocky 15 year-old self how long it was going to take, I certainly wouldn’t have said another 13 years though. And as I came into the senior ranks I definitely started to question whether it was going to happen for me or whether I’d hit my ceiling.

However, once I turned to steeplechase and started running some solid times and progressing once again that reality that it could happen started to seep back into my mindset.

My transition to the steeplechase. I stumbled into steeplechase (poor choice of words considering my injury history) more than anything.

I was working really hard as a 1500m runner but wasn’t really seeing any major improvements in my times. There was always something mystical about the steeplechase for me, I had the idea that I was a naturally quite a good hurdler too so I decided to give the 2k steeple a go at one of the regional meets and did quite well.

One of my roommates at university was a steeplechaser and helped me a lot too, although I don’t think I did a training session with hurdles for a couple of years after that. I’d say I truly became a steeplechaser at Western State Colorado University, where I did my post-grad.

They were known as ‘Steeple U’ and were a DII powerhouse, one of the reasons I decided to go there. I made huge improvements to my technique, did truly steeple specific sessions for the first time ever and knocked 15 seconds off my PB in a year.

It was a bit of a revelation for me and made that transition so much easier.

RELATED: Transitioning from middle-distance running to the steeplechase

Competing at the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games. The World Championships was incredibly special for me as it was my first ever GB vest, and on one of the biggest stages of them all.

It was a strange experience though as I’d collided with a barrier trying to time-trial the standard at a British League race in Bedford only a few weeks before, and I’d ended up tearing my quad. So it was a rush to even get me to the start line, and huge credit to the Welsh Athletics Physio team for making it possible.

Even so, I knew heading into the heats that my preparation just really hadn’t been that good. Looking back on it, I think I was kidding myself with how fast I thought I could run. So not making the final really shouldn’t have been a surprise, but at the time it was a tough blow running so poorly in your first British outing.

The Commonwealth Games for Wales was completely different, and by far the best running experience of my life so far.

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Working hard for more moments like this… #steeplechase #TeamWales #CWG2018 #commonwealthgames #throwback #waterjump #race #athlete #running #runner #runningmotivation #instarun #instarunners #runnersofinstagram #bebetter #motivated

A post shared by Ieuan Thomas (@thomasieuan) on Oct 5, 2018 at 1:10pm PDT

It’s my first time travelling with a full team cohort to a major championship and having a prep camp beforehand. As I work full-time I really don’t get the chances to go on training camps, so this was a special opportunity having a prep camp on the Sunshine Coast and coming into the race in fantastic shape.

The race itself again ended up a little disappointing but didn’t take away from the overall experience for too long. It just made me even more determined. Once you have a taste of these major champs you just want more of it, and as I continue to improve, I’ll be able to handle them and truly do myself justice.

Club athletics. I do feel a loyalty to my club because it’s my local city; I’ve lived in Cardiff for many years and I do feel proud to call it home. However, for me right now, there are not many opportunities that club running can offer that will benefit my personal running agenda.

I love competing for my club at events like the road relays, and winning the 6 stage with Cardiff a few years ago was incredible, mainly because I got to share that moment with friends and training partners who I have known and run with for years.

Clubs offer great opportunities for young and developing runners. The coaching setup is fantastic and Young Athlete and British League competitions allow racing practice to a certain extent, I certainly competed in them profusely as a young runner. However, once you reach a certain level, club competitions start to lose their relevance as you look to find faster races and better competition to take you to the next level.

My career high. There are two moments that really stand out for me immediately when thinking about this. Getting the selection call for World Championships – I can’t put into words how much that first GB vest meant to me.

Then, running my first Commonwealth ‘A’ standard last year at Stanford. This was a huge deal for me as I’d pretty much ‘put all my eggs in one basket’. I’d taken my maximum annual leave from work, and spent a huge amount on travelling out to California to race the Stanford Invite with the hope of running the qualifying time for the CWG.

I even went back to Colorado for a few weeks of altitude beforehand to give me the best chance. 100m into the race I was tripped and hit the deck. All the sacrifices I’d made to try and make the CWG flashed before me and I genuinely thought the whole trip was going to be a waste. I managed to get back up pretty quickly, get back into the group, come second in the race and run the standard. What a feeling that was!

My career low. Probably missing out on the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. I’d run a B standard by five seconds on the very last day, but it wasn’t good enough.

I nearly quit the sport after that disappointment. I’m now glad I didn’t.

Like/dislike – track. Track season is my season, it’s what we build towards all year and it’s the season that means the most. It also means I finally get to race my specialist event, which only happens a few months per year.

Solo sessions are a dislike. Being a steeper often means being on a different schedule to the rest of the group and I do a lot of track sessions on my own.

Like / dislike – roads. Long winter session with the group are great. We have an incredible group of people based in Cardiff. Guys like Jake Heyward, Tom Marshall and Jake Smith are incredible to train with and make you up your game. I love the days when you’re feeling good and just rolling on the front of the pack, making everyone work that little bit harder.

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‪No better way to end the working week than some quality miles. Great to have @tommarshall1500 for company . . .‬ ‪#RunYourWorld #WeWhoRun #runnersofinstagram #instarun #saucony #running #selfie #colours #instapic #run #runningmotivation #trainhard #nodaysoff ‬

A post shared by Ieuan Thomas (@thomasieuan) on Oct 26, 2018 at 11:04am PDT

Morning runs in the winter are a dislike. Working full-time means if I’m going to double the first run needs to be at 6.30am. Most of the time that means layering up, grabbing the head torch and just getting it done. It’s not motivating to wake up when it’s dark and cold.

Like / dislike – cross country. Cross country is just fun, isn’t it? It reminds me of being a young athlete when I was actually good at cross country. I often go into cross races with not much expectation, just expecting a really hard race and a quality workout.

The mud is a dislike. My biomechanics are no longer favourable to deep, sticky mud. I’m much more of a rhythm runner, rather than a powerhouse cross country athlete, so when it comes to the mud I definitely struggle.

The future. I’ve been to the Commonwealth Games, European Champs and World Champs. So I need to get my Olympic berth to finish the set of majors.

I’m also not satisfied with how I’ve performed at major champs so far, so I still have my eyes set on more, and making sure that I make the finals at least.

My final piece of advice. Get a good pair of running shoes. Ladies – get yourself a good sports bra, measured to fit. Try not to increase your mileage too quickly. Set realistic goals and try and make running as fun as you can. It’s a simple sport.

Ieuan Thomas is a proud Saucony UK Ambassador, he is supporting the launch of the Triumph ISO 5, which are available to buy from your local retailer here or www.sportsshoes.com.

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The post Why I run: Ieuan Thomas appeared first on Fast Running.

I started running when I was in primary school, but I didn’t do any specific training, I just did every sport going, including swimming.

I then ran all through school and did athletics in the summer, but I was part of all the sports teams too and just done a bit of everything. I think when you’re young, just being active and enjoying it is the most important thing.

Why I love running. For many reasons; I’m fiercely competitive for one and love the challenge that racing brings.

I also love the bond you build with other athletes and the training groups I have here in Leeds are the best. There is such a depth of talent in Leeds and there are always people to run with.

I love my Sunday’s running into the countryside with the girls, even if we’re hurting we get each other through and have a laugh doing it.

I also enjoy the variety of events; from cross country to the road and the track. I always enjoy championship racing as it is so different to paced events, but I also love races where there is an opportunity to go for a PB.

As well as racing and competing, just running just to keep fit and healthy is something I’ll always do even when I stop competing.

When running became a sport. I competed in the schools cross country events and did the trials for the English Schools, which I got to compete in during my last year of school.

This then led me to join my first team the City of York (used to be Nestle Rowntrees). I took things a bit more serious in my last two years of college and began doing a couple of runs a week to “train” specifically for running.

It wasn’t until I went to Leeds University that I started to train properly, building my mileage and doing sessions. I then joined Leeds City AC as I always intended on staying in Leeds. From here I went on to run for a university in Chicago for 18 months on a scholarship.

Becoming an international runner. I met my current coach Mike Baxter in 2010 and moved back to Leeds in 2012, from here my fitness improved and we started to progress, however in the following few years I struggled with injuries and had a cycling accident.

Throughout this period I dreamt about an international vest, however, I wasn’t sure I ever would achieve it. In 2014/15 I changed jobs from shift work to regular hours and made a couple of adaptations to my training including adding strength and conditioning.

Making these adjustments finally paid off when in early 2016 I gained my first England vest over cross country. From here things have continued to improve and I hope there will be more to come.

The importance of my club. Competing for my club is hugely important, it’s where everything starts and the support from the group is wonderful.

It’s great to go to club matches and see athletes giving their all, while still supporting each other. It’s a great way also to encourage young athletes into sport, and importantly enjoy it, which will hopefully see them stick with it.

Photo: Charlotte Wills

The track, roads and cross country. What I like about the track is the fast and furious conditions of racing and the chance to go for times, however, there can be more pressure as there is nowhere to hide.

I like the road for the interesting courses and the opportunities to run fast times in mixed events. I don’t often aim for the road though, so it’s probably my least favourite surface.

I love cross country for the challenge that every course brings, it could be fast and dry or muddy and tough. No course is exact and it’s all about the position. I don’t really dislike anything about cross country, well maybe just the cleaning of spikes afterwards.

My career high. My proudest moment so far has been captaining the British cross country team for the World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, Uganda in 2017.

It was only my second GB vest and a huge honour. It was an incredible event, hugely challenging in the heat and at altitude, but also a fantastic experience I will never forget.

My career low. There can be many low moments in running, it’s what makes the high’s so good. It’s just how you chose to deal with them.

One of the hardest times for me came not from running, but from a cycling accident on my way to work in early 2015. This was at a point when I had started to make a breakthrough in running.

I spent a couple of days in the hospital and suffered a few broken bones and concussion. It was a tough time building back up to running and competing again, but I also feel this life event made me more determined than ever to train hard and achieve all I could.

The future. I have achieved everything I ever dreamt about in my career and so much more.

My aims are now to try and improve my times over the road and track and continue to challenge the best at cross country in the hope that I can achieve further international selections.

My final piece of advice. My advice to others would be to enjoy your running and don’t be too hard on yourself.

The post Why I run: Claire Duck appeared first on Fast Running.

My first running experience was a 5k road race held in my hometown of Newcastle, County Down in Northern Ireland. I was 13 years old, and I asked my Dad if could take part.

I beat most of the boys that evening, all except two. The local club told my Dad that I could come along to training. It was all seniors at the time, but I was able to do shortened sessions.

I then started cross-country with the school and moved onto my real love – the track – shortly after that.

Why I love running. I love that you can run anywhere, as long as you have a pair of running shoes.

I have met (and continue to meet) so many lovely people with the same passion as I have. It’s great to share the experiences and stories that running has allowed us to enjoy.

I am fortunate to live in an area of outstanding natural beauty that has so many different routes and terrains to run on. We have forest parks, nature reserves, good safe road routes, the beach and the mountains. It is a paradise for runners.

Running has taken me all over the world, both to train and compete. I’ve discovered a lot of new places, including Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees. Training there at altitude has become almost my second home.

However, my home in the corner of County Down provides me with so many training options, and it’s hard to beat – apart from the weather of course.

When running became a sport. In my first year running in the County Down Schools XC, I think I must have finished in around 60th place or thereabouts.

By the following year with a couple of training sessions a week with my club, I won the County Down Schools and finished high up in the Ulsters Schools, as well as the Irish Schools, and earned my first Irish vest competing in the International Schools XC.

After that, it was my introduction to the track, and in particular, the 800m and 1500m, which I loved, and the structured training started there.

I moved to Lisburn AC where I was able to train with other junior athletes. I was there for two or three years until I went to University where competitive running took a backseat.

However, I still competed for the University of Ulster in XC, on the track and also in mountain running. I went on to compete for Ireland in two World Mountain Running Championships in Italy 2004 and New Zealand 2005.

From that international experience, I realised that the hunger was still there. That motivated me to get back into competitive track racing and I started training once again for that with my home club Newcastle & District AC.

Dreaming of the Olympics. I loved watching athletics on the television with my Papa and dreamed of course, but as a child, it didn’t seem realistic that competing at the Olympics was possible for a local girl from County Down.

The Olympic dream kicked in as a realistic option when I discovered the steeplechase. Before then the targets were to make the Irish team at European Team Championships and European Cross Country Championships.

Earning a vest by making the national team was a real challenge and target for me. I still remember the phone call in 2009 (my fourth season on the track as a senior athlete) from the then Irish Team Manager, Patsy McGonagle.

Just as I arrived in the Pyrenees for training, he asked me if I would run the 3000m in the Euro Team Champs in Slovakia a few days later? Of course, I jumped at the chance and finished in a photo finish place in 2nd in 9:09.50 – I guess it was an indication that I could do so much more.

From there the hunger grew, and as I met more people in the running world who had been to major championships, the more I was inspired and dreamed of doing the same.

My background was 1500m, but I wasn’t super fast like Ciara Mageean, so I had a go at the 5000m, but my endurance wasn’t as good as Fionnuala Britton (McCormack), so I realised I sat somewhere in the middle (3000m).

The following year (2010) I was called up again for the European Team Champs, this time in Budapest, and after a long chat with my coach, Richard Rodgers and Chris Jones (Ireland Team Manager at the time), we started to look at the steeplechase.

In 2011, just before my 30th birthday, I ran my first ever steeplechase in May at the Loughborough International, winning in 10:24.

I knew I had finally found my best event and I went on to run 10:08.8 in Germany on my 30th birthday. After that, I felt I could have a go at trying to qualify for the London Olympics in 2012.

My transition to the steeplechase. The change came naturally to me. Maybe it was from the jumping over boulders on the descent in mountain races as I hadn’t taken part in any hurdle races as a junior.

It wasn’t without injuries though, which were mainly Achilles related and this stopped me in my stride while trying to make the Olympics in 2012.

Since then I have learned so much about my running technique, developing strength and power, working on my hurdles, while also working on my endurance.

My coach Richard Rodgers (with excellent support and insight from Chris Jones) have been fantastic on the endurance and running side of my development, while Tom Reynolds (and in the early days Stephen Maguire) helped me with my hurdling technique.

Physio support also played a big part in the transition, with Phil Glasgow helping me in my early running career, to the physiotherapists now in the Sports Institute Northern Ireland, Chris McNicol and Kerry Kirk.

Strength and conditioning is also part of my weekly routine, and Robbie Bremner has been excellent in developing and overseeing my programmes to ensure my body, especially my feet and ankles, are up to the job of clearing 35 barriers in a race and training.

The track, roads and cross country. I love the buzz of the track, the speed and the atmosphere of a crowd being so close to the action. Depending on how many are in a steeplechase race, sometimes it can get very crowded and dangerous – the barriers are very solid and unforgiving.

I love the freedom of the road and the space to race, but the impact can be tough on the muscles and joints.

When it comes to cross country, I love the European cross country courses, as they are usually very flat like the track. The traditional cross country in the winter helps develop the underlying endurance for the summer track season. Of course, it is often cold and muddy in Ireland, but I have learned to love the mud too and not let it phase me.

My career high. The proudest moment in my career has to be competing at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, standing on that start line and realising a lifelong dream was about to be accomplished.

But I wouldn’t have been on that start line if it hadn’t of been for the opportunity myself and two fellow Irish steeplechase athletes, Michelle Finn and Sara Treacy, were given in Letterkenny to race. Daragh McDaid of Letterkenny AC can’t be thanked enough for putting it together, which helped all three of us cross the line inside the Olympic qualifying standard.

We had been chasing the standards during the early part of the 2015 season and been unsuccessful up to that point. So we chatted and decided to run in Letterkenny and just go for it no matter what the weather was going to throw at us.

It wasn’t a calm night by any means, and the rain threatened all evening. The pacemaker did a fantastic job taking us to 2km and over the final laps, we collectively worked hard against the international opposition to finish strongly. I was ecstatic when crossing the line and I could see the clock knowing Michelle and I were very close to going inside both standards (Olympic and World).

We had to wait for the official times to be called out, and when they did, I shed a few happy tears. It is still one of the best races I have run in my career and one of the most memorable.

It still stands as my PB – 9:42.61 – nine seconds inside my previous best. I ran 9:45 three times the next season (2016) and hope to go sub-9:40 this season (2018).

My career low. 2012 was a pretty tough year for me. I had travelled to the USA to train and race in the hope of making the London Olympics. While I was there my Papa passed away after a short battle with cancer – he was my number one fan.

I had kept in regular touch while I was away training in Albuquerque and things had been going well for him. He received the good news that his cancer treatment had been a success and things were going well.

I then ran my first race and finished second with a PB of 9:58, 10 seconds inside my best and breaking the 10-minute barrier for the first time. It felt I was close to the Olympic qualifying standard.

Like always, I contacted home to speak to my Papa about the good news of my race, but he was taken to the hospital, and everything went downhill very quickly. He had been able to watch my race from his bed and had said: “she’s going to make it [to the Olympics]”.

I wasn’t able to get home in time, and I blamed myself for being selfish and leaving home to pursue my dream. I was able to speak to him for the last time via Skype, but he wasn’t able to talk back, and it was the most difficult experience in my life.

Talking about it still is, and will always be, very raw. Knowing that was my last time I was ever going to see him and speak with him was so hard, there was so much I wanted to say, so much I didn’t say, and so much I wish I had of said.

I finally said good night Papa and he was able to say it back. That was the last time I was able to see and speak to him. I received a call from home the next morning telling me that he had passed away.

With the Achilles issues I had, not making the Olympics that year made me feel that I had let him down and that I should never have gone away in the first place. I still carry that feeling to this day, even though he had told my family not to tell me what was going on, as he wanted me to stay in the USA.

Finally making the Olympics in 2016 brought back all those emotions, not having him there was very difficult, but I hope that he was somewhere in that crowd looking down on me from the best seat in the house.

I still have big goals. I am, even at the age of 36, still improving. I produced my best international cross country performance in December, finishing 38th at the European Championships.

I ran 16:10 to win a 5k race in very windy conditions on St Patrick’s Day in Portlaoise, and four days later ran 16:13 to win the Queen’s 5k in Belfast. These are signs we believe that I will soon be ready for a record track season.

This season my goal is to make the European Championships in Berlin in August firstly. I will do my best to make that final again and improve on my 12th place from Amsterdam 2016.

The big goal is to make Tokyo 2020, I definitely believe I have another Olympics in me.

My final piece of advice. You’re never too old to follow your dreams, so keep believing.

The post Why I run: Kerry O’Flaherty appeared first on Fast Running.

Fast forward to the present day, and Neil is a now a multiple marathon runner, lover of trail running, and an active member of the UK based running club, Vegan Runners.

Neil reflects on how he fell in love with running.

Why have you started running all the time? You never used to run, why the sudden change? Wouldn’t you rather be down the pub? You’ve changed, who are you? Why do you bother?

These are all questions I have faced since taking up running a couple of years ago, questions that I have struggled to answer in the past, questions that got me thinking.

Why do I run?

It’s definitely not something that has come naturally to me, at school I hated sport of any kind, which I put down to being rubbish at it, I was always the kid that was last to be picked, and usually last in any races.

So what’s changed?

I took up running to raise money for charity, and I still hated it to start with. I really wasn’t enjoying it but raising money for a charity close to my heart made me stick at it, after all it was only 6 miles and then I could give up on my very short lived running career. The trouble was it soon became addictive and a way of challenging myself.

WARNING! Here come the tiny violins! I guess I’ve never really felt like I’ve achieved anything, a feeling that something has been missing from my life, like I’ve never reached my full potential.

Running has changed that, I run for the sense of achievement I get when I complete a race, or when I run further than I have managed before, or the sense of achievement I get when I beat my pb. I run for feeling I get when I set myself a target sometimes a year in advance, and then train all year to reach that target and then finally smashing it.

I run for the sense of freedom that trail running brings, the sense that while out running I am more connected with the natural world, that life goes on around me but not really taking any notice of me running past, the feeling that running is the most natural thing on Earth to do, just as our ancestors have run for thousands of years.

I run for the exploration, when you get to run somewhere new. I’ve always walked and hiked a lot but you get to see so much more with running, some of the places I’ve walked seem different when I return there running. You get to cover a greater distance running meaning that you can reach parts within a day that you couldn’t whilst walking. Nothing beats running around a bend and being greeted with a stunning view that you didn’t know was there.

I run for the runners, for the sense of community. I have met some truly great people through running, people that I now class as good friends. The trail and ultra running world really does feel like one big family, everyone watching out for everyone else, you know that if you get into difficulty during a race that others will stop and help you out.

This sense of community really hit home a couple of months ago while attending the “Ultra magazine festival”, it was late and we were sitting around a camp fire, I looked up and looked around and it suddenly hit me, here I was sitting with some of the best ultra runners in the world, runners that have completed some of the hardest races in the world, and pushed the boundaries of what the human body can achieve, and it didn’t matter, it didn’t matter that they could be classed as professional athletes, it didn’t matter that I had never run an ultra, the only thing that mattered was that we all share a love for running. I have yet to meet anyone through running that I haven’t got on with.

I run because whilst out running I have no worries, and no stresses, normal life doesn’t matter for those few minutes or hours whilst running.

Why do you run?

We would love to hear why you started running and what inspires you to get out there and run.

You can follow Neil’s running journey on Twitter or by visiting his blog.

The post Why do I run? appeared first on Fast Running.