About running icons
Right… I thought I’d post my absolute running heroes. Well, I’ve picked 5 that represent the values and characteristics I admire and have aspired to in my running life.
Feel free to add yours to this list and maybe explain what it is about them that inspire you.
1) Hicham el Guerrouj
Moroccan middle distance runner. El Guerrouj is the current world record holder of the outdoor 1500 meters, mile, and 2000 meters. He also held indoor world records for the mile and 1500 meters until 2019, and is the only man since Paavo Nurmi to earn a gold medal in both the 1500 and 5000 at the same Olympic games. El Guerrouj holds 7 of the fastest 10 times ever run in the 1500 meters and in the mile!!
I have memories of El Guerrouj dominating the middle distance world for years and continue to smash the world record. His natural ability and willingness to suffer and dig deep were out of this world.
I remember the anticipation and excitement every time he competed and they showed it on TV. A bit like with Usain Bolt I kind of expected him to put on a amazing display and smash a world record. At his best he truly was unbeatable.
2) Paula Radcliffe
The athlete. I’m making a distinction here between what her actions and behaviours demonstrated on the road and track whilst she continued to challenge herself, and the limits of what’s possible, and the retired pundit part of the Nike money machine who shies away from recent doping controversies.
I don’t think I have to explain what she’s done for marathon running and women’s running. My absolute favourite trait of her as a runner was the ability to take on pain and challenge what others thought not possible. I have read her autobiography and countless accounts from people close to her during her prime of her stubbornness and willingness to hurt, whether competing or just on the treatment table.
When I’m marathon training and I’ve got a session like 2x13km at marathon pace she’s possibly the first person that comes to mind to psych myself up and find the desire to get stuck in and get it done.
3) Emil Zátopek
The “Czech Locomotive”. Legendary runner who won the 5,000, 10,000, and marathon at the 1952 Olympics and pioneer of training methods which at the time seemed insane and now are understood and key parts of current long distance running training like over 10 repeats of 400 meters at the track.
He, reportedly, ran 20 x 400 with 200-meter recovery every day before the 1948 Olympics, with hard 200-meter repeats before and after. Before the 1952 Games, he upped it to 40 x 400 daily.
Zatopek was all about hard work. He had a hard upbringing being part of a big family and having to adopt army training on top of his usual running training during the 1940s and early 50s. He never let off. He really was used to going hard or going home.
In 1954, Zátopek was the first runner to break the 29-minute barrier in the 10,000 metres and at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, he won gold in the 5,000m, 10,000m, and the marathon, breaking Olympic records in each event.
Paula was tough in races but this guy was insanely tough in training. The best.
4) Steve Prefontaine “Pre”
This guy had it all. Iconic, stubborn, natural ability, charisma, a daring nature and most important of all… a desire to test himself and to win. He did not care much for racing strategies, pacing, mental games or measured approach; he was all out from the 1st meter of every race.
He won more than he lost but even when he lost he would do it in the most fantastic gutsy way. He was ok losing as long he was beaten fair and square by a stronger athlete, what he didn't like, however, were the boring tactics of sitting on people’s shoulders or drafting until the final lap. He had very strong feeling towards runners taking the easy win.
One can argue if that’s a smart approach or not in professional athletics but I have the upmost respect for admiration for any runner willing to put himself at the front and tell the others “beat me if you can”.
His times were nothing special to shout about and he never managed to win any Olympic medals but he would fill entire stadiums and really entertain.
I have watched films and read books about him and he was an absolute legend. The James Dean of athletics. Not only because of his looks but also do to the way he prematurely died in 1975 at age 24 in a car crash.
“A lot of people run a race to see who is the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more”
5) Christine Ohuruogu
Double world champion, Commonwealth champion and Olympic champion.
I am sure there are more talented, faster, stronger, better runners out there, but the one thing that makes Christine feature in my top 5 most admired runners is her ability, time and time again, to be competitive when it counts. And I mean really competitive.
A lot of runners and athletes in general have a tendency to be afraid of losing form, they struggle to call it a season or to start building a new season from scratch knowing that they will not be competitive. There’s a general fear to be forgotten about. It’s as if some runners want to be out there for the popularity, TV air time or special coverage for iconic races… or plainly for money! Not Christine.
She was never afraid of being “shit” when it didn't matter and to build her fitness the right way. She would focus on her actual goal and train specifically for that goal alone. Nothing else mattered.
She would then never feature in the odds of the oracle, all-knowing, pundits and then round by round she would start getting sharper and race smarter until she peaked in the right place at the right time. 2–4 years of training to peak and give your 100% in 50 seconds. The best you can be in 4 years captured in less than a minute to win gold. Outstanding!! Definitely inspirational stuff.
And we’ve finally come to the end of my top 5 most admired and inspirational runners.
I’d love to hear yours, but more importantly, I’d like to hear why!!
