Motivation

Athlete Interview: Emma Clayton, Mountain Runner

Team GB mountain runner and world silver medallist, Emma Clayton talks plans for 2015, recovery tips and running legends…

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What do you love the most about mountain running?

Not only is it a challenge against your competitors, it's as much a challenge against the mountain itself. It goes without saying that the scenic nature of the sport is one of the highlights. At most stages of a race you can be in awe of your surroundings, as opposed to track racing when it's the same view lap after lap and you could be anywhere in the world.

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What’s your proudest running moment?

My proudest moment to date is winning silver at the World Mountain Running Championships in Poland, 2013. I led for most of the race, unfortunately I wasn't strong enough to hold on to first place and got caught on the very last climb. I was still extremely happy to come away with a medal at a major championships.

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What’s your favourite training session for speed?

I love to run 400s on the track. I train with a great group of girls and we all work together to get the best out of the sessions. I will usually do around 10-12 400s and lap in about 69-70seconds.

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…And for endurance?

Inevitably my favourite sessions are hill sessions. Most 'normal' athletes only have to deal with the dreaded hill sessions during the winter but I actually do more hill sessions in the summer. When preparing for an uphill championship, I do reps of a 1.5mile long road which has a pretty good gradient and then I get driven back down to the bottom to start all over again.

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As a full time PE teacher, how do you fit in training alongside working?

It's hard but I've not known anything different since I finished University, so to me it's just normal. Some mornings I'm up at 5.30 to get a long run done before heading off to school. Four nights a week I head straight up to Leeds Beckett University for training and so I'm often out the house for over 12 hours.

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If you could run with anyone, who would it be?

I'm lucky enough to have run with 3 of my 5 idols as a youngster. When I was a junior two of my biggest idols were Victoria Wilkinson and Mary Wilkinson. I looked at them competing for GB on the mountains and really wanted to do what they were doing. Since then I've trained with and competed with them both for Bingley, Yorkshire and Great Britain at European and World Championships and consider them both good friends. In February, I was fortunate to attend the British Athletics altitude training camp in Kenya and our group leader was Paula Radcliffe, it's hard to top running day to day with the greatest ever female marathon runner. With Joss Naylor and Killian Jornet the remaining two on my list, hopefully over the next couple of years I'll be able to tick these two legends off it too.

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What’s your favourite pre-race meal?

It's not my favourite by far but I seem to always have it the night before races - chicken, pesto pasta with vegetables.

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Name your 3 essential items to take on a trail run.

One of the best things about trail running is that it's so accessible; all you really need is a decent pair of trail shoes.

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Which shoes are you currently running in?

I currently do most of my mileage in the Salomon X-Screams, which I love. I'm looking forward to running in the new X-series, which look a real game-changer.

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What’s your next challenge?

This year will have a more structured approach to last year, because of injury, so the cross country season will be followed by a couple of road races before the mountain season starts. Great Britain is hosting the 2015 World Mountain Running Championships in Wales, 19th September, and so everything this year is geared towards that.

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Your top recovery tip?

Rehydrate and eat as soon as possible after running. I also use compression tights to help my muscles recover.

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Complete the sentence “I run because…”

…It's fun and when it stops being fun I won't.

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