The Red Bulletin September 2020 (UK)

Jasmin Paris
MICK KENYON, PETE AYLWARD, JAMES KIRBY
What’s it like in those moments of
absolute exhaustion?
I was hallucinating. Shapes morph and
change. In a way, it was an interesting
distraction. When I was getting close to
the very end, it looked like there were
people at the side of the road. It was
only trees, but your mind starts
showing you things you want to see.
Your main rival, Spanish runner
and 2013 men’s champion Eugeni
Roselló Solé, quit just 6km from the
finish. What would have been going
through his mind?
When you’re trying to win a race like
the Spine, sometimes you overstep the
mark. Eugene was chasing me all
through the night before, and I think
he pushed himself to the limit. I was
wearing every item of clothing I had
– six layers, three pairs of leggings –
but it’s difficult to stay warm when
you’re not moving fast. He had less
gear than me. That’s part of your
decision-making – how much weight
you’re carrying, how fast you’re moving
– and ultimately it didn’t pay off [for
him]. That night, it started snowing
and the temperature was way below
zero. If you’re getting too cold and
you’re moving too slowly, it’s a vicious
circle. I’m just glad he was rescued and
safe in the end.
There’s been a lot of talk about
women outperforming men in ultra
events. What’s your take?
I get this question a lot. I’m not a
scientist. I mean, I am a scientist, but
this is not my area of studies. I’ve found
that the longer the race, the more
competitive I can be with men. If you’re
running a short race, it comes down
to strength and aerobics. With long
distances, stamina is obviously
important, but 50 per cent of it is in
your head – in a 24-hour race, you’ll go
through bad stretches, but it’s about
learning that you’ll come out the other
side feeling better again. It’s meditative.
In my experience, the women who turn
up at long races, even if they’re just 10
per cent of the field, are usually better
prepared. They’re less likely to have
this macho attitude of “how hard can
it be?” At the Dragon’s Back Race in
Wales, I was told that if you’re a man
you have a 50 per cent chance of
finishing; if you’re a woman, you have
a 90 per cent chance.
How can we change sport so more
women get involved?
At races, especially the bigger ones,
a readjustment in terms of gender
equality is due. There needs to be
equal prize money and equal trophies
for women. It doesn’t matter if there
are fewer women taking part – that’s
not an excuse. It has to start with
everything being made equal, then
more women will join.
Your success in the Spine Race drew
attention to mothers in sport…
I’ve had so much positive feedback
from people telling me their own
personal stories and how they’ve
been inspired, including lots of mums,
some of them in breastfeeding groups.
It’s just this message about women,
about mothers, doing sport. I do my
best to support that. Like with This
Mum Runs, a volunteer-led company
dedicated to getting more women out
running. It is a real problem – a lot
of women think they can’t do sports,
and some have issues with their body
image. I hope that people like me will
help to change that, so this movement
is aimed at getting mums running
together as a social thing. Regardless
of your gender, sport shouldn’t be
about being good – it should be about
taking part and enjoying it. Sport
in schools shouldn’t be about the
competitive element.
Who inspires you?
There are certainly some women
I admire a lot. [British fell runner]
Helene Diamantides raised the profile
of women in the early days of the
sport. And [Scottish skyrunner]
Angela Mudge. But they didn’t make
me start running – that came from the
love of it. It sounds corny, but I feel
more inspired by the people at the
back of the field. They generally run
twice as long as those at the front.
I’d finish in eight or nine hours and
have time to rest, eat, relax and sleep;
they’re running 16-18 hours a day
with six hours to eat, sleep, change
clothes and set off again. They don’t
have the promise of winning and
fame, and the aid stations are
depleted of the best food by the time
they reach them, yet the spirit they
show… They’re the real heroes. I get
most of my motivation from them.
Twitter: @JasminKParis
THE RED BULLETIN 29