HOOKED ON RUNNING

QYou grew up in Hexham, Northumberland in the 1970s. Can you tell me what that was like? What were you like as a youngster?

AI was born in Hexham but brought up in Ryton, about 27km away which is a long way in England (laughs). I remember Ryton to be hilly, cold and quite windy at times. As a child, I was active and talkative, but very often liked to be left alone.

Q AHow did you come to find running? Did you play any other sports in those days?

I first got into running through my Primary School Headmaster, aged 10. He used to run most lunch times around the school soccer field and I used to watch him. I remember vividly the day he asked if I wanted to join him the next day. I don’t think I slept that night I was so excited. He set me a challenge to run 10 laps nonstop – it took me about two months to get to that point. The next year, at an inter-school race, the local running club coaches as usual were there watching and I was asked to join Blaydon Harriers – from then on I was hooked and my Tuesday and Thursday evenings were the highlight of my week. I also played hockey and netball.

QIs there anything you remember about running as a kid that might shock the young runners of today?

AThat after most of my runs up until I was 11, I used to vomit. As a youngster I remember being too scared of a race that I tried to hit my ankle with my hockey stick to hurt it so that I didn’t have to race.