In His Stride

24 JUN2010

Shane Knott took up running to get fit but kept going because he loved it so much - the people, the places and that great feeling of being healthy ...

What first prompted you to run? It was New Years Eve 2002 and I looked over my expanding waist line and thought 'the fightback starts now'. A few days later I joined a gym and in April finished the Bolton 10k in 1 hour 12 minutes.

The start of a beautiful relationship? Definitely - I'd caught the bug and over the next few years was a regular runner in races like the Tunnel 10k and the Liverpool Half. Then in 2006 I ran in the London Marathon - that's when I finally thought 'I am a runner'.

Best decision you've made as a runner? Easy question. Soon after London 06 I joined Penny Lane Striders which is a big friendly Liverpool club where you are welcomed regardless of ability and where I immediately felt at home.

Where do you like to run? Liverpool is blessed with lots of great parks and I try to take in a few of them on my travels. Sefton Park is my favourite - it's great to head along there on a summer's evening and find that you're one of dozens of people enjoying a run in lovely surroundings.

Your favourite race? Has to be the Wincle Trout Run in June - a 5 and a half mile course through beautiful Cheshire countryside with a couple of stiff climbs but the compensation of running through a cooling river. No medal at the end but every finisher does receive a fresh trout!

Your toughest challenge? That has to be when I ran in the Paris and London Marathons a week apart in 2008. I managed four hours dead in Paris and 4.28 in London.

Interesting race scheduling - how come? I wanted to do something a bit different to raise funds for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. It worked - generous friends and colleagues donated £3,000.

Favourite piece of running gear? Has to be my Penny Lane Striders vest.

Dream race? My dream race doesn't exist yet - the Liverpool Marathon. There's a lot of talk in the city about the Big One and I'm just hoping that we can make it happen.

Dream running buddy? He's only three years old so it might be a few years before he can enter a race but my son Jonathan wants to do a marathon with daddy. Maybe we can do the Liverpool Marathon together in 2030!

What do you enjoy most about running? I love the camaraderie at the club and getting support from fellow runners and supporting them in their various challenges. Also the social side of things is brilliant - BBQs, awards nights, trips to big races. I have been a RW pacer in the previous two Liverpool half marathons, and reallly enjoyed the experience This is a good way for you to put back into the sport too.

Finally a training tip for readers of NORTHERN RUNNING GUIDE? We run because we enjoy it, why else would anyone do it? I always say to new members of the club that if they are consistent, and they enjoy it, then everything else will fall into place.