I’m A Runner
THE COMIC AND REALITY-TV STAR ON MIDRUN CRYING AND KEEPING UP WITH JESUS
Comedian and reality-tv star Joel Dommett
SPORTS-WISE, running is the only thing I’ve ever been half-decent at. I’ve got pretty good 5K and 10K times (18:30 and 39:30). Recently, I’ve been doing loads of parkruns, which I love so much. DECIDING NOT TO WEAR HEADPHONES and also to run alone changed everything for me. I write a list on my hand of five things I want to think about before I go running. I think up a lot of my stand-up routines on a run, as there are no distractions. By the end of the session I feel that I have really cleared my head of all the clutter.
I RAN THE LONDON MARATHON this year. It’s always felt like the ultimate run to me, ever since I bought a London Marathon medal at a car boot sale as a kid. I had it on my bedside table for years and always said one day I’d run London, so this year felt like a coming of age.
I RUN THREE MILES EVERY DAY during the week (it’s a mile and a half to the gym) and then do a long run every weekend. I recently went to Japan, Peru, Tahiti and India for my TV series and I loved training while I was out there because I got to go out and see all these incredible places. Running is the best way to see a city.
MY TOUGHEST RACE was an ultra I did in Mexico a few years ago. It was 32 miles of crazy hills and mountains. At 25 miles, I couldn’t stop crying. Running makes me emotional, anyway; I don’t know why. People in the village offered us little bits of food to keep us going but I was being overtaken by these 60-year-old guys in jeans and Iron Maiden T-shirts; it was surreal. I crossed the line in 5:15 and just burst into tears again. I’d run the first eight miles in sandals because I tried to run it authentically, like the local tribes do, but my ankles and toes were bleeding, so I had to put on trainers. I wore their natural dress too, which was actually really handy, as it was a loose-fitting red top and white skirt, so it was chafe-free.
THERE’S NOTHING QUITE LIKE that post-long-run hunger – it’s so much more intense than anything else. A Sunday roast is usually my go-to. Mind you, a new poké [raw fish and salad] bowl place has opened where I live, so at the moment I’m just living on poké bowls and protein shakes, which I’m also addicted to.
I PLAN MY RUNNING OUTFIT carefully, based on what the weather’s going to be like – there’s nothing worse than getting cold extremities on a run. And I’ve just started running in the New Balance 1080v8, which I love. They’re so comfortable.
THERE ARE SEVERAL PEOPLE I’d really love to run with, but I reckon Jesus would be the best, as he’d have some great stories for a long run and when you got thirsty he could turn your water into wine. He looks pretty lean, too, so I think he’d be a good pace-setter.