Chris Thompson, cult hero
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Chris Thompson is one of the most popular runners on the British distance running scene. A prodigiously talented young athlete, he began earning British under 20 vests from the age of 16. He won silver at the European Cross Country Championships and beat a certain Mo Farah to win 5000m gold at the European under 23 Championships. Injury dogged his progress, but he went on to win European silver as a senior behind Mo Farah and represent Team GB at London 2012. His Olympic days looked over as his 40th year loomed and he became a parent with athlete wife Jemma Simpson. But in a crazy week of new parenthood, having his hand run over, COVID protocols, he dredged up the run of a lifetime at Kew Gardens to win the Olympic marathon trial and implausibly earn a place for Tokyo 2020. It was a run that cemented Thommo's cult like status among the UK running community. He talks frankly and in his own inimitable way over the trials and tribulations of his career, including visa issues preventing him running at the 2022 World Championships, brushes with authority and lots of behind the scenes anecdotes and laughs from his 25 years plus in the sport. An absolute must listen episode.
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39 episodes