I'M A RUNNER ROB BELL
THE TV PRESENTER AND ENGINEER, 43, ON HOW DRESSING AS A FRENCHMAN MAKES HIM RUN BETTER
IT WAS MY DAD WHO FIRST ENCOURAGED ME TO RUN. I was probably about eight, and Dad would cheer me on during school cross-country runs up the Ivinghoe Beacon, near where we lived in Buckinghamshire. But after seeing the London Marathon live for the first time aged about 23, I thought, this looked like something I could do. I first ran it in 2005.
I LIKE A LOT OF THE THINGS AROUND RUNNING MORE THAN THE ACTUAL PROCESS OF RUNNING, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
I see running as something to share with friends. So whenever I enter a race – and that has included the marathons in Berlin, Boston, Chicago, New York and Dublin – I usually do it with mates so we can train together and share the experience of the day.
MY JOB MAKING TV PROGRAMMES INVOLVES LOTS OF TRAVELLING, BUT I ALWAYS PACK MY RUNNING KIT. Before last year’s London Marathon, I went for training runs in Boston, Nevada, Panama, the Shetland Islands and the French Alps. But oddly enough, my favourite run was an early-morning outing along the peaceful canals of Nottingham.
WHENEVER I RUN A BIG CITY MARATHON, I DO IT DRESSED AS A FRENCH CHARACTER CALLED JEAN PAUL. I wear a silly moustache, a silk neck scarf and a thick cotton stripy top that’s too short for me. I just find it funny, and get cheered on even more when I shout ridiculous French phrases back at the crowds; it gives me a buzz, which urges me on. For the Paris Marathon, I dressed as Robbie Le Bobby, an English policeman, but the Parisians didn’t quite get it.
IN 2015, I RAN SEVEN MARATHONS IN SEVEN DAYS ON SEVEN CONTINENTS, WHICH WAS AMAZING. We started in Antarctica with seals and penguins popping up as we ran past. One of the other standout highlights was in Cairo, where three local running clubs organised a marathon race for us to take part in after we asked on social media for any suggestions of good places to run. The final marathon in Sydney was a real struggle, it was so hot and I’d lost my focus a bit as I knew we had over a day to complete (
