1. How long have you been running and why did you start running?
I’ve been running for 40 years. I did most sports in high school in the UK—rugby, running, and basketball being my favourites—but running was the only one I was above average at, so it’s the one I kept on doing.
2. How long have you been part of TRL, and what drew you to the club in the first place?
I’ve been coming to track workouts now for about 14 years. I was working out alone one Tuesday, discovered the Lizards and joined in with their session. It was several years before I did any of the other group runs—I think I somehow failed to realize there were other runs—but for a while before Covid I went to pretty much every one. The main draw was having people to run and train with; it’s also enjoyable socializing with people whose ages range from just-out-of-college to mid-seventies.
3. What do you do when you’re not running (job, family, school…whatever it is you’d use to introduce yourself outside of running)?
I moved to Portland from the UK for a job as a research physiologist at OHSU; I no longer have that job but I am still here in Portland because I like it so much. The biggest attractions are the surrounding mountains: I like to hike, ski and also enjoy landscape photography. When I am inside, I read a lot.
4. What’s your favorite distance/type of run (5K, half-marathon, marathon, ultras, relays, track, trail, etc.)?
I’ve had a go at everything so far except marathons and ultras. I don’t think I have a favourite distance but my best distance when I was younger was probably 800m. Until last summer, I hadn’t run an 800m for over 20 years and I was quite surprised to discover that it is probably still relatively my best distance. I really enjoy trail races but haven’t done as many as I would like.
5. Where is your favorite place to run in the greater Portland area?
Probably Forest Park. I also like running around the expensive parts of Eastmoreland, near Reed College, and imagining that I could afford to live there.
6. What’s your most memorable running experience (or experiences)?
My most memorable is my first half marathon, but for all the wrong reasons. My high school used to hold its own half marathon until health and safety decided that it was a bad idea, and I ran it first when I was 14. It was a hilly course and I went through 9 miles in 63 minutes before completely cracking and staggering home in 2 hours and 2 minutes. It was a painful lesson. A memorable one for all the right reasons was the Great Columbia River Crossing, one of the first races I did after moving to Portland. I got to run it on a perfect fall day, and it was spectacular.
7. What’s the best running advice you’ve ever received?
A few years back, I asked Tim Sweitlik what was one thing I could do to run faster. He said “Run more.” So, I upped my weekly mileage, largely replacing some cross training with more running. It’s the opposite of what you are supposed to do as you get older, but it seemed to work for me and my times improved significantly.
8. Tell us one fun fact, hidden talent, or something we don’t know about you, but should?
On some summer weekends, I like to dress up in a bear costume, hang out on remote trails around the Oregon-California border and scare the hikers. Imagine my surprise one day when Mark Mochon came running down the trail! (Editor’s note: Gareth dryly calls this “completely true” but he realizes that many readers might not know what actually happened to Mark. The reality is that Mark came around a bend and nearly collided with a bear. It’s not clear who was more startled—Mark or the bear—but the bear had sharper claws, and Mark got some interesting stripe-like scars when it took a swipe at him before running away.)
My real hidden talent is that I am quite good at writing limericks. My best friend said that it was shame that my only talent was so useless, but I was once driving through Sandy and saw a long banner across the road advertising a limerick contest in the library that day; I pulled over, but the library was already closed.