CHILD’S PLAY
Our annoyingly cheerful ultrarunner Damian Hall has been taking his daughter to running club
TOKEN BLOKE
Kids don’t always appreciate our efforts…
© ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
I recently gave a talk at an XNRG seminar, designed to help more Brits complete the long and hurty Alpine race, UTMB. Organiser Neil Thubron, also an impressive ultrarunner and race organiser, asked everyone in the room a question I hadn’t considered for a while: “What is your ‘why’?” In other words, when the going gets tough, what psychological aids will help you fi nish the race? I realised my why was simple: cake. Well, that and my kids.
I often think of them during the latter stages of races. Having foolishly told them the best things in life are worth striving for, that hard work and perseverance pay off, I’ve made a rod for my own back. I can’t now give up in a race without very good reason.