What have you been up to? Well, I was really looking for what was next in life. But, during my career I had always thought it would be interesting to come up with my own brand [of running clothes], which was completely different. During my competitions and training I was always missing something nice, sexy, colourful – something fun … I figured out, if I am missing this, and I’m an elite athlete, what about recreational runners? They must miss it even more! After the 2012 Olympic marathon, which I didn’t finish because of a bad injury, I didn’t want to just sit, moan and be down. So I looked for another challenge. This is what’s been keeping me really busy for almost three years now!
Where’s your favourite place to run? Definitely Iten in Kenya. Because of the natural trails, the people living around there, the atmosphere and the runners. Everyone is a runner. If you aren’t running, it’s like: “What are you doing?” You don’t struggle to run – it’s just a part of life there. The morning, the middle of the day, the night … no one minds. That’s the best place. Competition-wise, it’s the London Marathon. It’s a pity I’ve never really had a chance to win it, but I’ve always had fun there. London has always been good to me over the years, even if I didn’t perform. Many athletes think you need to win, to be top-three. I never won but I still think it’s really special. I really appreciate the way they treat the athletes here. It’s amazing.
Do you think there’s anyone running now who can get close to Paula Radcliffe’s world record? There’s still such a gap … I think it’s possible to break 2h 17m. 2h 15m? That would really take a lot. A lot of energy, a lot of training, a lot of effort. People are getting faster. People coming from the track now aren’t thinking that for the marathon you need to run conservatively – they just go out there and think they are running the 10,000m. I think it will be broken, but not soon.
Do you remember your first ever race? I competed in primary school, where I was always the best. I was pretty competitive in high school – I almost won the World Juniors in 1988 and 1990. But I was always number three or four. I never made the break into second. So I had been competing, but I never trained. I just went and ran. I focused on being a professional only after high school, when I was about 19.
When people ask you for a training tip, what do you say? Whatever you are doing, have fun. That’s what I say. Training is not about killing yourself, it’s not about torturing yourself, it’s about having fun.
Do you ever wake up and not feel like running? Yes! Sometimes I have that, too, like: “Oh no, not today.” And sometimes if I don’t run I feel so bad. Basically it depends where you are in that moment. If I am in Iten, there’s nothing that doesn’t motivate me: I wake up, I run. If you are somewhere where the running is harder, in the middle of the city, that’s difficult. Never at home, though.
Do you wear a running gadget? Yes, I wear a TomTom running watch. It’s got a heart-rate monitor in it, so I monitor everything I do. If my heart rate is high and my pace is slow, I know something is wrong so I take it easy. Every kilometre I check my heart rate and how I feel.
What’s the worst thing about running? The worst thing is getting injured. If you can’t run, then you really feel bad.
And the best thing? When you are on top of your game. When you are so fit that people would say: “How did she do that? How do you stay fit like that? How did you run that fast?” Those are the memorable times.
What’s your post-race indulgence? After a race, if I am really happy, I look forward to a special dinner. Really exclusive, with friends, in a really nice restaurant. Just to talk and be happy with a glass of wine. I love fish, so the more fish, really well cooked and well presented, the better. It has to look really good!
What would you eat on the morning of a race or a hard session? My breakfast would be porridge made with millet. I’ve travelled with that all over the world – you can make it in your room with just a kettle. I have that at least two and a half hours before.
Do you ever run barefoot? Not that I remember. I did in school, even when I started training. I competed barefoot, but I don’t really remember … I think it was fast!
Mo Farah or Usain Bolt? I would watch Mo. I know him personally but also he’s a long-distance runner. Bolt is great, but I don’t know him. And it’s 10 seconds! What would I do then? I just don’t find it challenging – I don’t get that excited. But if I hear Mo or Paula is running, I would plan to watch it.
Who is the greatest runner ever? I would say Grete Waitz. Paula, too, for breaking the world record, but Grete Waitz was able to change so many things for women running and open the door for us. We all owe her our respect and appreciation.
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