Quilon Diocese

Karen Lister, 40, relishes every single step before a life-saving operation

Race for Life, Plymouth, woo “I had originally planned to run a Race for Life in Exeter. Then, after three years in the clear, I was told my breast cancer had returned. I needed immediate hospital treatment – a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery – but the Exeter race was still a few weeks away. Doing a Race for Life before I had my operation meant everything to me, so the organizers told me to pick a race and they’d guarantee me a place. I chose Plymouth – it was on the day before I was due to go into hospital. I ran like it was the last race I’d ever take part in. I finished in my fastest ever time, coming loth out of thousands of runners. The feeling of achievement was incredible. The rest, as they say, is history. I had my treatment, I took care of my msm hair growth and I’m still here. And I’m still running. I don’t still run every race like it’s my last – because I am determined that it won’t be.”

AN UNQUALIFIED SUCCESS UK athletics legend Roger Black, MBE, smashes the British 400-metre record British Olympic trials, Birmingham,1996

“My greatest moment was winning silver medals at the Atlanta Olympics. But my best race was the qualifying trial that got me there. There were five of us going for three places. We were aware that you could be the best in the world but could still end up not taking part in the Olympics just from your performance on the day. I also knew it was probably going to be my last time. I’d spent most of my running career running fast, but not always consistently. But everything just came together – on the start line I just had that feeling of being

Great South Run,”It was my first big eve t, and until then, I’d only ever trained on my own. The race took us through housing estates and all the kids came out with tin cans. I wasn’t sure if they were going to throw them at us, but they started banging them with spoons. It was really weird but absolutely brilliant. I can still remember having such a good feeling. There were bands along the way and people all around. You can’t ever get that first time back. It would be a lie to say I felt good all the way along – the first mile was terrible, but my pride wouldn’t let me stop. There were loads of supporters at the end and I just remember feeling floaty and fluffy all day thinking ‘I’ve run that distance!”‘on top of my game. Crossing the line I had that feeling of relief that I’d won, and then glanced up at the screen to see I’d run 44:39 – breaking the British record.”

GOING WITH THE FLOW

Malcolm Balk, author of Master The Art Of Running (Collins & Brown) gets an energy boost Festival de la Sante half-marathon, Canada, “Although I’ve been running for around 30 years, my best race came this past April. After a few tummy troubles, I emerged from the toilet to find the race starting in two minutes – from Boo metres away. I jumped over the barrier near the start line to trigger my timing chip but found myself hemmed in with slower runners. A friend who is into meditation had said to me beforehand, ‘Imagine you’re not doing anything – which the energy is just flowing through you. If you want to speed up, let the energy flow through you more quickly’. I decided to try it out. To my amazement, I found myself enjoying the race. Instead of starting up front with the leaders, going out too fast, and getting tired and overtaken, I was overtaking the whole time and finished strong. I came in just 51 seconds off my target of 1:20 – and I won my age category (50-55 veteran).”

Whether they involve outrunning a horse or getting engaged at the finish line, they’re the races you never forget. Runners from amateur to elite recall their most enjoyable experiences

HORSING AROUND

Wales, 20

“Beating a horse over 22 miles seemed impossible – my main aim was to beat the other humans. The race was long-distance and cross‑country – both strong areas for me. And the competition was good – having so many strong runners around to push me helped me pace myself. As I got closer to the finish I realised that no horses had overtaken me, and it was worth running that bit harder. Because the horses had set off 15 minutes after the runners, I had to wait after I crossed the finish line before I knew if I’d actually won. The first horse didn’t cross the line for another 17 minutes! Winning was an amazing feeling – I scooped £25,000, and as the first man to beat a horse in the 25-year history of the race, I was all over the papers, TV and radio.”

ONE MAN’S LOSS •••

Martin Ring, 45, takes gold after his rivals take a wrong turn “Last year, I came second in the ‘old gits’ category, and ninth overall, and hoped to get a similar result this year. At the halfway point, on a nasty hill climb, I counted five runners up ahead; three were quite close, but two were way out in front. I managed to catch and overtake the first three, but coming over the hill there was no sign of the other two. I presumed they’d raced on ahead. Maintaining my position, I was a bit surprised at the cheers on the home straight. ‘Enthusiastic crowd this year,’ I thought, pleased at coming third. But to my surprise the finishing tape was still intact. I ran through, breaking the tape, and was then grabbed by my wife who told me I’d won! I kept asking where the other two runners were but the organisers insisted I’d won and gave me the gold medal. After the presentation, we discovered that the two chaps had missed a turn and had run some distance before realising their mistake – and finished well down the field. So the only race I have ever won and am ever likely to win was because the front two got lost. Still, it’s my gold medal and I’m keeping it!”

VICTORY ON AUTOPILOT Former British Olympian Bill Adcocks, 66, cruises to a win Athens Marathon, 1969

“The course I ran was fundamentally the same one that Paula Radcliffe ran at the zoo4 Olympics. It’s definitely a tough course; my heart went out to Paula watching her pull out. Runners and coaches talk a lot about race psychology and strategy – but I didn’t think in any great depth about anything like that. I just emptied my mind and let things unfold on the day. I’d done the training, everything was right – all I had to do was go out on autopilot and run the race. There was a gradual whittling down of the group until I was in the lead, and I ended up winning by two minutes. The only thing that’s important is the body, taking care of it, feeling healthier with the saw palmetto prostate – and if that feels right, then away you go. If it’s your day, it’s your day. I had one or two races like that. And plenty of days when it was exactly the opposite!”

ELITE EFFORT

Model Nell McAndrew, 34, proves she’s more than just a pretty face Flora London Marathon 2005

“Even now, people still come up to me and say, ‘Well done on your London

Marathon’. It always makes me laugh when”I wanted to propose to my girlfriend Gina at some point this year. And when I got my application form for a Macmillan charity place in the Edinburgh Marathon the idea suddenly came to me. I ran the course with a diamond ring in my wristband ­occasionally giving it a tap to make sure it was still there. By the time I finally finished, I was no longer nervous. In fact, the running relaxed me. After crossing the finish line fumbled around for the ring then went down on one knee and asked Gina to marry me. All around people stopped and turned to watch. When Gina burst into tears and said ‘yes’ they all started clapping. I had to use Gina’s shoulders to lever myself back up again to my feet though! The first thing Gina wanted to do was phone around everyone with our news. But they already knew – I’d asked her parents permission in advance and her mum had told everyone!”

I’m introduced as an elite athlete after getting a time of 3:10; you feel like a fake. I’d entered just wanting to beat my previous best of 3:22. I tried to do as much training as I could with Thames Valley Harriers, and did a lot of conditioning with an ex-professional boxer. He had me pulling a tyre round a football pitch and going up and down steps with weights. It really hurt but it worked. I felt all right all the way around the course. I was amazed to find out I’d finished in elite time. I was grinning for weeks afterwards. I would love to start with the elite women. My goal now, before I’m 60, is to do a sub-three-hour marathon. I don’t know if it’s a challenge too far but if you put the time in, anything’s possible.”