Warts ’n’ Hall
I have a bit of a problem. Some of my best running rivals are also my best friends. Or frenemies.
In ultramarathons you’re in your daps for hours and hours, while an easy pace, picturesque scenery and free-flowing endorphins all combine to make us happy (albeit not always at mile 89). So we often get nattering away with fellow runners. Life stories are exchanged, friendships sparked, dad jokes shared.
There’s more chat in the mid-pack than at the front of races, where we’re trying to save every ounce of energy. But it doesn’t mean friendships are less likely to blossom. I like running with mostly silent company. You still share the trail, snacks and sunrises. And when it gets tough, no one knows what it feels like as much as the runners around you. Bonds form quickly.
Running friends are different. Most of mine don’t know my birthday or my children’s names. But if I ask them to meet me on Helvellyn at 3am in a blizzard carrying three litres of vegan custard, I know they’ll be there. And I’d do the same for them (even if I may have eaten some of the custard).
At the 2023 Spine Race, I ran the first 100 miles with Kim Collison. He was a teammate the time the GB selectors weren’t paying attention and accidentally picked me. Kim’s supported me on record attempts and has carried my hummus sandwiches. He’s a good pal. But I’ll still try to beat him in races and vice versa. We were leading the Spine when Kim said he was going to drop back as he didn’t feel so good. It was a dilemma. Here was my chance to go for glory. But I wanted to be sure he was okay. Should I wait with him or run my own race? I was torn. He insisted I run on. And I would have said the same. But I still felt conflicted about it. Were we friends or foes? I guess we were both.
BEST OF FRENEMIES
The protagonists in athletics’ greatest ever sprint finish may have loathed each other. Instead, there was a respect there, with the two friends later visiting each other’s home country.
Runners Joan Benoit and Grete Waitz were rivals on the road but friends off it. On Waitz’ death, Benoit called her ‘a friend, mentor and role model’.
Arguably the greatest middle distance rivalry in history, there was huge respect between Seb Coe and Steve Ovett. ‘Every compartment of
