My Running Life
TIM SHIEFF, 29, DERBY, FREERUNNER
Freerunning champ Tim Shieff has made the jump to the trails
HE'S JUMPED BETWEEN
BUILDINGS and won the World Freerun Championships. But what Tim Shieff likes most these days is hitting the trails.
I GOT INTO RUNNING THROUGH OBSTACLECOURSE RACING.
I reasoned that if I could run, I could do well at the obstacle races, because the obstacles themselves would be relatively simple. Instead, I fell in love with running. I stopped caring as much about the obstacle-course races and instead became passionate about running.
I DID THE LONDON MARATHON IN 2016, IN 3:04.
That was a really emotional experience, because I’d never committed to training for one big moment before. I finished the London Marathon and thought, ‘It’s only lunchtime – I’d like to do this all day.’ So three weeks later I did the 100km London to Brighton. That was a really fun day.
CARDIO USED TO BE THE LAST THING I WANTED TO DO.
I was into callisthenics [bodyweight exercises] and the odd bit of weightlifting. I loved watching athletics and had so much admiration for them, but thought, ‘That’s not me.’ Once I realised I could do that as well – as any human can, if they try – I was hooked.
THE TRAILS ARE NOW WHERE I’M HAPPIEST.
I did enjoy running road marathons and 10Ks, but there’s only so long you can chase PBS. That’s more of an ego satisfaction, and I’m chasing more of a soul satisfaction. When you’re not pushing for time, you allow the pace to be dictated by the environment. Moving from the roads to the trails was like moving from 2D running to 3D running.
VEGANISM IS FUNDAMENTAL TO ME.
Once I learned about the environmental impact of consuming animal products, and began to connect the dots between the cow I’d see when running through a field and the hamburger on my plate, I became vegan. I read Scott Jurek’s book
Eat and Run and realised you can be a vegan and a top athlete.
FREERUNNING, AT ITS ROOTS,
is about traversing your environment efficiently. If you’re only travelling 50m, running isn’t so important. When you start traversing cities, it’s essential. Running taught me so much about my posture and form. How’s my knee swing? Where are my hips in relation to my chest? How’s my cadence? By being this analytical, I was able to apply some of the lessons from running to my freerunning.
I AM GOOD AT MORE TECHNICAL DESCENTS.
Years of freerunning have given me great confidence and balance. My cousin has a sub-15-minute 5K. He will absolutely smash me on uphills and on flats, but when it comes to technical descents I can keep up, or even overtake him.
RUNNING MADE ME CONSCIOUS ABOUT FOOTWEAR.
I never gave it much attention before I started running, but now I think a zero-drop shoe with a wide toebox is really important. I experimented with Vibram and Vivobarefoot shoes, but settled on Altras, as they have a bit more cushioning.
RUNNING GIVES ME A NEW CHALLENGE.
With freerunning, I’d won world championships. I’d climbed that mountain, if you like. I was looking for a new mountain to climb – and running has given that to me.