He’s trekked to the South Pole, rowed across the Atlantic and completed the Marathon des Sables. He’s won two Olympic golds, run a sub-three-hour marathon and is now looking to become an MP. There’s seemingly very little that James Cracknell can’t do. We grabbed a word with the great man to find out more about his running life.
What does running mean to you?
A chance to burn off anger and frustration, or think through a problem and appreciate life.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Food aside, it would be belt buckles. Given that I’m not a cowboy, I really can’t justify owning as many buckles as I do!
What was your best ever run?
I think the school under-12s 400m is still the only running race that I’ve ever won. Aside from that, running 2hrs 53mins at the New York Marathon and finishing 12th in the Marathon des Sables (MdS) gave me great pleasure.
What is the most important lesson running has taught you?
Don’t let other people set your target or limit. Set your own goal. It’s amazing what you can achieve that way – in life as well as running.
Who, if anyone, is your running hero?
Emil Zatopek. At the 1952 Olympics, he won the 5,000m, 10,000m and the marathon.
If you could enter one race before you die, what would it be?
The Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley – it’s 135 miles in 50˚C degrees.
What’s your favourite running book?
I tend not to read when I’m running!
What’s people’s greatest misconception about running?
That they can’t do it.
What’s your most cherished running possession?
Vaseline.
What medal are you most proud of?
The Olympic medal is the most shiny.But, more than the medals, I’m most proud of the money I’ve managed to raise for charities through my running.
City streets or country lanes?
Towpath – there’s something special about running alongside water.
Music or the sound of silence?
Training: Prodigy’s Music for the Jilted Generation. Racing: nothing.
What’s your most embarrassing running moment?
Having to do a ‘Paula’ while running – but without the excuse of being about to win the London Marathon.
List the following in terms of toughness: winning Olympic gold in rowing; completing the MdS; rowing the Atlantic.
They’re all so different. Olympic rowing packs it into six minutes, the MdS six days and rowing the Atlantic six weeks.
Describe yourself as a runner in one word?
Relentless.
