TRM: Give us the non-PG version of your journey into trail running. Tell us about the times you really struggled and what made you want to keep going. Any embarrassing moments along the way?
WH: My earliest memory of running was lapping the block at primary school. The days of letting a flock of kids foot it around the block for some driveway roulette are gone, but the feeling of freedom and fun are memorable. A couple of us thought we were fast back then but by high school, affectionately a ‘runt’, and presence of other actual talent left me well and truly dusted on any school runs.
I cleverly shifted my efforts from legs to wheels and raced bikes. I was spoilt to try all sorts of sports, instruments and hobbies at school. I had an early impression that people‘person’s height’, with identical ladders, a taller person would always reach higher. Ironically this wasn’t applied to other pursuits as I wouldn’t have learnt anything at all! It took me some time to realise talent was not the be all and end all and to focus on building a taller ‘ladder’, not to search for a sport I was ‘tall’ at to begin with.
