An interview with ultra runner Simon Wheatcroft who is blind and runs thousands of miles a year on his own
What made you want to start running?
I started running as a challenge and to explore what was possible. After losing your vision it is easy to sit back and believe you cant undertake certain hobbies or compete with everyone else. I decided to run to define what was possible for a blind runner and to set an example for my son, that if you have a goal, no matter the barriers, if you adapt and believe in yourself, anything is possible.
How do you train, and what is specific to your style?
I train in two ways. Outdoors and indoors on the treadmill. The outdoor running is incredibly limited. I was only able to learn one single route alone, so the incline is always constant, unfortunately they don’t like putting ultra runs on nice flat roads. So I added a lot of treadmill running to practice running on an incline.
The outdoor training is where I put in my long miles. I memorised a route and navigate from memory and with audio GPS updates. However this is not fool proof as a lapse of concentration or taking a sip of a drink at the wrong spot results in me running into a post or falling down a ditch. Obstacles placed on the route also pose a problem, so I simply believe the route is constant and accept I will run into things now and again.
Indoor training consists of speed and incline work on the treadmill. I usually run on the treadmill 4-5 times a week. This is tough as indoors it is difficult to let your mind wander so the treadmill can become very draining. However it’s the only way I can train inclines so it's something I simply accept. As for my style, I would say its mind over body. Believe you can make the distance and you will or at least be at peace with failure; knowing you took it to your mental and physical limit.
What is your diet like?
I would like to say my diet is fantastic, but frankly it isn’t. While I do eat reasonably healthy and don’t particularly eat too many carbs it could certainly be better. My actual nutrition while running is done on a cost per run basis. I simply cant afford to train using sports nutrition for every run. So I eat whatever is cheap and try and keep a good mix of sugar and savoury. So anything from chocolate bars to sandwiches while I run.
What keeps you going during the difficult parts of an event?
The opportunity to prove to myself that I can carry on no matter the circumstances. Once you have overcome the barrier of being blind and running solo it sets the bar quite high. So to stop I literally have to collapse. If I can stand back up; the race goes on.
Which has been your favourite event so far?
My favourite race is always the next one, keep hungry for the next event and you will keep training hard. If I had to choose an actual event it would be a 5km I ran with my wife, it was the only event she has ever run so it was great for us both to receive a medal.
If I had to choose an overall favourite race in the ultra world though, it would be Badwater. It’s the entire reason I began to train, to qualify and finish. Just to be clear I have yet to run Badwater, it is simply the race I really want/like/admire.
Click here to watch a video of Simon's training
