A Life Of Hills And Beetroot Juice
Running up mountains in sometimes blistery conditions, would never get me out of bed.
Fell running requires dedication, commitment and a high level of fitness (of course). These attributes are hard to find in a student, but Michael Kallenberg is an exception.
His love for running has taken him across Britain and Europe. However it’s not all brisk jogging in the countryside for the twenty year old. His alarm rings at 7am, he drinks a glass of beetroot juice and sets off for an agonizing run. This is daily.
Fell running is a sport that is too extreme for the Olympics and is not a spectator activity, unlike track events. To run up hills rather than walk is beyond me, but to be told that it’s not acknowledged by the Olympics would steer many people towards walking boots rather than trainers.
The Fell Running Association states that it is a unique sport and it wouldn’t like to cater for a lot of people. Their reason for this is to balance sporting interest with the environment. They believe that mountains across Britain would not withstand the ever increasing pounding of feet. Environmentalists urge the public to walk, cycle and run, but too much is bad? You can’t win. With this in mind, Michael’s priorities lay with pain and improvement rather than the soil he walks on – I mean runs on!
Michael instantly had my greatest sympathy when he said, “I spend less time socialising, due to the early starts most morning.” For a Journalism student, life without booze is a life not worth living. On the other hand his strict training regime and diet have brought him rewards that would make any mother proud.
His morning runs begin at 7am sharp and he ends most days at 9.00pm. Between these intense training sessions his life as a student continues. Mike studies History and Politics at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. “Like my social life, I must balance my studies with training. First year was a struggle as people would encourage me to go out, but now I think I’ve grasped it. My priorities lay both with running and my studies.”
Beetroot juice. A substitute to beer in Mike’s case. I never thought I’d hear beetroot and juice in the same sentence, but Mike swears by it. This antidote increases your stamina by 17%, but he advised me to not overuse or your body will come immune. As If I’d even smell the stuff, never mind drink it! He would drink this every night for ten days before a major competition. Mike runs every weekend, so I became very confused to how he defined races that were more important than others.
So Mike presented me with a list of his primary races this year:
- Snowdonia International, 23rd July
- Worlds Trials Witton Park (Blackburn), 13th August
- If he qualifies at Blackburn = World Championship in Albania, 11th September
- Commonwealth Mountain Racing in North Wales, 23rd-24th September
With fourteen Welsh and two Great Britain vests you’d think he’d be content, he isn’t. His real objective is to succeed in the Commonwealth Mountain racing this year. “It’s what I’m working towards. Although other races are significant, my true ambition is to do well in North Wales.”
Llandudno and Llanberis host the championships, with the slogan “Mud, Sweat and Tears.” The slogan alone would keep many competitors at bay, but it is the motivational drive for Mike whilst he trains. The championship is split into three separate parts. There is the up and down race, self-explanatory, but if you think that’s a walk in the park then try the next two. The 100km race, which would kill any reasonable man from exhaustion. However these maniacs train seven days a week so you would expect that from them. If that isn’t testing enough, then there’s the 24 hour race. The winner is the competitor who runs for the longest. WHY? Life isn’t hard enough for some people.
Mike is going for the easy ride and participating in the up and down race. Although I think it’ll take more than beetroot juice to endure the mountains in North Wales. “I’m looking forward to looking down at my trainers for the last time before glancing upwards to see the hill ahead before the race.”
The strenuous hills in West Wales prompted Michael’s running obsession. Walking just wasn’t challenging enough, he found that there were many others out there who had the same interest. In 2007 he qualified for Wales and competed in the European youth challenge. This was the beginning of a passion that would bring great pain, until he has to tolerate weekly massages. I really felt for him.
My final question was, ‘what gets you out of bed in the morning?’ He simply answered; “The sheer enjoyment of it. I’ve achieved Welsh and GB vests, so all that training and beetroot juice made it worthwhile. You must be focus and thrive on success. You can do anything in this world if you put your mind to it.”
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5 Comments – Post a comment
CeefaxOfLife
Commented 59 months ago - 1st July 2011 - 14:06pm
Why is this not an Olympic sport?
SamuelPatterson
Commented 59 months ago - 1st July 2011 - 14:06pm
He sounds bloody mental! But in a fun way.
Woody's words
Commented 59 months ago - 1st July 2011 - 14:24pm
Too extreme and not a spectator sport. Which is silly, because all you need is a camera and a helicopter. People would love to watch these mentalists running up and down hills from the comfort of their own sofas.
CeefaxOfLife
Commented 59 months ago - 1st July 2011 - 15:54pm
That seems a strange reason when they've introduced that long-distance outdoor swimming event to the Olympics, especially when all the "action" (punching, pulling and tugging) happens under the water away from the cameras.
And they're re-introducing golf in 2016.
Tom_Bevan
Commented 59 months ago - 1st July 2011 - 18:34pm
As a cross country 'dappler' I can understand the pain but also the enjoyment of running up hills.. and beetroot juice is surprisingly good, I recommend. Keep it up Michael!