Joe Baker Elite Runner: Running for 24 Hours
How far could you run in 24 hours? Elite Runner Joe Baker ran 150 miles and is the current record holder at Endure24 which returns to Bramham Park this month.
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00:00 "Like a lot of runners, when you start you gain that fitness quite quickly, you see your
00:05 times coming down, it's really rewarding. I only ever intended to run maybe one or two
00:10 marathons and a couple of weeks ago I ran my 91st."
00:16 Following a major rugby injury ten years ago, Joe Baker got the running bug during the first
00:21 steps of his recovery. It soon became a lifestyle rather than a hobby and Joe is the current
00:26 record holder at Endure 24, which returns to Bramham Park on the 29th of June. The event
00:32 sees participants race against the clock, completing as many laps of an 8k route as
00:37 possible. Here in Middleton Park, Joe reflects on the event where he set the 150 mile record.
00:43 "Obviously 24 hours is a long time, you've got a lot of time with your own thoughts,
00:48 so you need to be mentally strong because there's always going to be that time where
00:53 it gets a bit tough and you're questioning, should I stop, should I keep going? And for
00:58 me the tip is just try and keep moving. It's safe where you're running at night, the paths
01:03 are nice and wide, you've got your torch on, there's lots of other people around. You're
01:07 never really on your own out there because there's that many runners going. There's some
01:12 people that do it solo like I've been doing, but you can also do it as teams."
01:16 Joe is hoping to inspire more people to get into running and perhaps become ultra runners
01:21 too. Getting your pace right is key, and here are some more of Joe's top tips for Endure
01:26 24.
01:27 "It's not a race until about 20 hours in. I'd recommend you eat every lap, little and
01:32 often, keep yourself fuelled. There's something magical about changing your socks. You've
01:36 got to watch because you put them on and you feel like you can run faster, so then you
01:39 go out running a bit quicker than you need to and you just have to remember. My kids
01:43 come down, they tend to be my crew, so they're drilled at being able to each hour pass me
01:49 a bit of food or a drink and stuff like that. So when you say, 'Do you want to go camping
01:53 with Dad?' then they know it might involve staying up for 24 hours and me running around."