“I WOULDN’T CHANGE BEING A RUNNER FOR THE WORLD!”

Sport presenter Rachel Stringer has put the pressures of the track behind her – but, she says, she’ll never lose her love of running

PHOTO: EDDIE MACDONALD

Elite sport is a hard taskmaster. To race against the best requires toughness and a ruthless competitive edge. But despite her background as one of the country’s top junior middle-distance runners, there’s little evidence of those traits in Rachel Stringer these days. It’s easy to see how her personality has helped her translate her sport background into a career as a sport presenter: a warm, constantly positive presence, she’s relaxed and clearly in her element leaping through the mud on Hampstead Heath, London, for our cover shoot. “Maybe I’m just more chilled in my old age!” she jokes when asked about it.

Of course, this is all relative. Rachel’s “old age” is 26, but she’s already fitted in half a lifetime of running, beginning her competitive career aged 12. And, although she’s no longer studying her competitors’ form when she lines up for a race, she’s clearly still a disciplined runner and sets herself high standards – like the sub-three-hour marathon she’s keen to achieve next year.