I’m A Runner Electropop duo Oh Wonder
ELECTROPOP DUO JOSEPHINE VANDER GUCHT AND ANTHONY WEST ON RUNNING ON TOUR
JVG AT SCHOOL, I HATED ATHLETICS Plus, I was so into music – I just wanted to go to gigs. So for the whole of my teenage years I never ran.
AW WHEN YOU’RE A KID IT’S ONE THING OR ANOTHER. I remember thinking, ‘I can’t do athletics because I’m into skateboarding.’ It was that and then BMX for me. You didn’t dabble.
JVG I DISCOVERED RUNNING AT UNIVERSITY, when a few of my mates started going on casual runs. Then we took a trip to Paris to do the half marathon. When I came back I joined Run Dem Crew in Brixton.
AW WHEN I WAS 17 I GOT A KNEE INJURY when I was hit by a car on my bike. The doctor said, ‘You shouldn’t be running long distances.’ I thought, ‘Nah,’ and trained for a marathon.
JVG I RAN WITH RUN DEM CREW for about two years, which was really useful for getting out of the house and meeting people rather than sitting in my bedroom, writing songs. The spirit, the energy and the atmosphere there is so celebratory.
AW MY REHAB WAS EIGHT MONTHS AND I DID MY FIRST MARATHON, Berlin, when I was 21. I find it easier to have goals. I’d find it hard just to go out and run 15km unless it was going to be worth something in three months.
JVG I LIKE FEELING STRONG. Running for me used to be externally motivated, to help keep my weight in check. As you get older, you appreciate what your body can do a bit more. Just being able to run and feel invincible – that feeling is so addictive.
AW WHEN I WAS 24, I RAN THE STOCKHOLM MARATHON. The second one felt easier. But I haven’t done any marathons since we started touring. Time zones are a bugger.
JVG I THINK MARATHONS ARE SO TRAUMATIC that I’m happy to leave it at one! I did London in 2013. But, classic competitive me, I wanted to do sub-four, so I ran five times a week for about eight months.
AW OUR NEW ALBUM COMES OUT IN FEBRUARY and we start a new tour in March. We’re both really up for running on this tour. We’re doing quite long stints in each country, so we’ll have time to adjust. It’s a great way to see a city.
JVG WE DON’T TEND TO RUN TOGETHER. If we do, it means that Anthony’s going really slowly. He’s got long legs – that’s his excuse.
AW I’M NOT SO INTERESTED IN THE STATS any more. I think it’s because I’m so tied to technology in my job. I don’t listen to music or wear a watch when I run. I just run free.
JVG I LISTEN TO MUSIC WHEN I RUN. It helps me feel more energised, and it’s a great opportunity to check out new stuff. The Coldplay song Orphans is really good for running – so life-giving. I did two laps of a park just with that on a loop.