Exploits of a superman
Last weekend, I followed with interest the performance of a guy called Tom Evans in the Black Canyon 100k ultra marathon in the USA, watching his live tracker online as he tore up the course.
Tom is one of the best ultra runners in the UK and seeing him finish second in a time of 7hrs 32mins on a tough trail course was seriously impressive.
Think about that, 60 miles of running means he averaged just over seven-minute miles for seven hours, a speed that most runners can only dream of for a few miles, let alone 60. It would take me at least double that time on my best day.
What really impressed me about Tom though is that despite being as good as he is – and a professional athlete for the Terrex team – he is such a down to earth man.
Our paths first crossed when he was becoming the fastest ever Brit in a race across the Sahara (over twice as fast as me!) but this year I got to know him better when we were both at a training camp in Lanzarote where he was sharing his experience and tips with runners of all abilities.
Tom’s inspirational story is, for me, one of chasing your dreams. An infantry commander in the Welsh Guards, he had aspired to be the best runner he could be and took a massive risk by chasing that dream.
However, through determination, training hard and believing in himself, he is almost there. Along the way he has had setbacks, operations and other challenges but last weekend’s performance shows just what can be possible if you commit to something completely.
In Lanzarote I was humbled that he gave me 30 minutes of his time for a slow recovery run. He was as interested in my average story as I was in his meteoric rise. When we finished I was in even more awe of him – a truly selfless man.
So if you have a dream, be it embryonic or fully mapped out, I know Tom would urge you to take the next step and see where that takes you, because you never know, you too could one day be on the podium of your dreams. You just have to be brave enough to take the first step.
What are you waiting for?
In the ultra marathon Tom did 7-minute miles for seven hours