You got yourself into this

Australian elite trail runner, Majell Backhausen.

He knows all about that whole downer vibe at race start lines, but he has a far more laid-back, zen-like attitude about it.

Recently, in his role as global content and community manager for Salomon Running, he went to China to film a video about the growth of trail running in the country.

And what he saw at start lines blew him away: people doing star jumps, wearing 80s glam fluoro – it looked like a 1980s music video. ‘‘These people were all really happy to be there,’’ Majell tells us.

‘‘It’s sometimes the case in our culture that you go to a start line and it’s, ‘I haven’t run for three weeks’, or, ‘this is going to be hard’. Actually, why are we saying this?

‘‘We’re here voluntarily to do something we should be grateful to do. We bring it down a level from what it should be.

‘‘It should be a celebration.’’ It’s not surprising Majell has that attitude. He believes in the importance of kindness. (Which doesn’t mean he’s not a savage on the trail, blitzing along at a pace that would draw extremely unkind words from me if I dared to try to keep up).

He believes in the importance of respecting running for what it is, not any laurels that may come for those who get to the end quicker than the rest of us.

So next time you’re on a start line, smile. Be happy that you’re about to embark on something that should bring you joy, and pride. Maybe even star jump.

‘‘We’re here voluntarily to do something we should be grateful to do.’’ Majell Backhausen

Eugene Bingham and Matt Rayment are hosts of a trail running podcast Dirt Church Radio. Learn more at dirtchurchradio.com or get in touch via email dirtchurchradio@gmail.com