Here at Hughes, like in every workplace, we have people from all walks of life and backgrounds and every so often we get a glimpse of their lives outside work. Recently, the Hughes team were cheering on our own Malcolm Tuff, Area Manager, as he competed in the World Masters Track & Field Championships in France.
Malcolm decided, six short months ago to forego his London marathon place for 2015 in order to concentrate on running short distances quickly to have a chance of qualification times needed for the Masters World Championships in Lyon. His events were 800m and 1500m. His training began in January 2015 and didn’t take him long to get up to standard as we’ve had him on the runaround and he’d retained the track speed he’d held during his 40’s age group. Amazingly, Malcolm only began ‘serious’ running when he was 40! As Malcolm tells us:
“I knew that as I was about to enter the 50 age group, that i would stand a chance of being up there so to speak!”
Malcolm’s training, however, was littered with intermittent injury despite foregoing the draining and fatiguing marathon. Competing at preparatory events such as the south of England Masters in February, Malcolm won the indoor 800m and 1500m titles, but picked up some irritating side-lining injuries thereafter, which hampered his progress.
From April to July Malcolm competed at various local East Anglia races with mostly junior /seniors to help the speed work. This determination and adapting training saw him climb up to 8th in the national rankings in the 800m and 4th in the 1500m! Look out Mo! By mid-July all was going really well and by European and world standards reckoning, Malcolm was in the top 10 for the 1500m… Then disaster struck with 1 week to the World Championships where he pulled up sharply at training one night and spent the last 2 vital weeks sidelined again. Malcolm’s physio advised no running…but he held firm with daily treatment made it to the start line (although he admits feeling ‘a little rusty’).
The first big day came (800m qualifying) and here Malcolm takes over the tale:
“I proudly donned the GB vest along with some other high ranked Brits, and nervously sat in the pre-race call room, looking at potential opponents. There were 84 men in 6 heats…..no one knows what time others will run and only 24 can qualify for the semis.
I raced with the current world champion in his draw and with caution in heat, due to injury and finished above my seeded position to finish 5th in my heat of 12, in a staggering 40 degrees and a time of 2 mins 13. I pensively waited and watched the other heats only to find I was eliminated by 0.3 of a second!
Feeling rather down but still enjoying the experience I was to wait a further five days before my next race. Still, watching the Championships and admiring just how fit and fast men and women were from all corners of the world(over 35 upwards) was a wonderful experience and very motivating.
My second race day arrived for my favoured 1500m and I was in the 2nd heat of 6 this time and like the 800m race, it was sweltering 41 degrees. This was going to be tough, so much so that before the gun, the officials sprayed us with hoses and kept us in the shade.
My injury again had kept me away from training in between races so my confidence was low. I raced well, however, and finished 3rd of 10 in my heat, running my 2nd fastest time of the year, in 4 min 30. I then had to sit through the last 5 heats, agonisingly watching times of others and by the last heat, I felt that I had qualified for the world final, barring disaster, as most other runners outside the heat winners were slower than I had run…17 qualifying places went through. It all hinged on the final heat. Unbelievably, the last heat ran a blistering race and all the first 6 ran faster times than me. I’d lost out by 1 second! I can’t believe I had come so close in my first ever World Championships. Although I was saddened to have missed out on running in the finals, I’m proud to have achieved the standard required to compete in the British vest, it is a true honour. I will try again next time in Perth, Australia – so watch this space!”
We’re all very proud of you Malcolm. Malcolm champions all our fitness solutions and – having only started running at 40 – is proof that you’re never too old to start getting fitter! So, stop being a couch potato and check out our range of fitness products to kickstart your motivation.
