Going the Distance: Marathon Milestone

By Eddie Haycock

Catering Manager Mr Tony Claramunt can normally be found in the Dining Hall, responsible for keeping the appetites of hungry Hamptonians at bay. He’s equally at home running 26.2 miles time and time again. Eddie Haycock finds out more.

The marathon is viewed as a landmark distance for runners and non-runners alike, a staple bucket list item and the most famous running distance in the world. Many people aspire to complete just a single marathon in their lifetime. However, this was not enough for our own Mr Tony Claramunt, who recently completed the World Marathon Majors, a series of six marathons spanning three continents. I had the opportunity to discuss this impressive feat with him, as well as how he became a runner.

“Football was my game when I was a young lad, and I’ve always had a love of sport, but I had to give up football as I started to pick up too many injuries. So I started running, around 10 years ago now. I started with small distances before signing up to various local races, to give myself a target, which was always helpful for keeping me motivated.”

Although running is fundamentally a simple sport, it’s essential that you learn how to train properly. It’s important to build up to longer races, both mentally and physically.

“There are two aspects to it; firstly you need to build up your stamina by increasing in small steps, and you also need to be prepared to take your mind with you. Your mind will tell you when you’re ready to move up a step. When you’re younger, speed is often the primary focus of running. However, this becomes more unrealistic as you get older. What you can do instead is go further; the further you go the less important your speed is, and this was something that interested me. I found that within a year I was able to do a half marathon, and within two years I was aiming to complete a marathon.”

Mr Claramunt mentioned one of his biggest running inspirations as former Hampton School History teacher and Team GB athlete David Clarke. “There was one person at Hampton who inspired and challenged me, and that was David Clarke.

I’d asked him for a couple of tips on marathons, and he told me that just completing a marathon wasn’t good enough; I needed to challenge myself.
I’d always tell him my progress, and he’d challenge me to improve even more. He gave me the belief that I could set a time and achieve it, managing to qualify for the London Marathon through time at the first attempt. Following this, I became aware of the Majors series.”

The World Marathon Majors is run over Europe, Asia and North America, with the six events being held in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. “Running is a community beyond just being a sport, and there was always someone who could offer advice on how to get into the Majors. The biggest challenge is to get the qualifying time for the marathons, particularly New York and Boston.”

If completing six marathons wasn’t a challenge enough, having to fit in various travel arrangements around a jam-packed school schedule added a
whole new complexity to the series.

“None of the races in the series seemed to happen during school holidays, and not wanting to take time off, I’ve been forced to leave for these races as
late as possible and come back as early as possible.” This is best exemplified through the final marathon of the series, where Mr Claramunt ran the Tokyo
Marathon on Sunday and was back in time for lunch the next day, a remarkable feat nearly as impressive as completing the marathon itself.

“For the American races, it was a case of leaving on the Friday afternoon, spending the Saturday going to the expo and collecting numbers, running
on Sunday morning just to be back on a plane for Sunday night. Luckily, all these return flights came back to Heathrow, so I was just a short bus ride
away from work! Going by myself, I was in control; I slept when I needed to, so I never felt any effects of jet lag despite the travel times.”

Finally, Mr Claramunt offers some advice to any aspiring runners in any discipline. “As well as the level of fitness, as well as the social side of running
and the ability to do it anywhere in your own time, I would say that running has a tremendous positive effect on your mental health. For me, it is my psychological release; being outside and seeing the greenery, I like nothing more than running in Bushy Park before work in the morning. I’d recommend running as a way of helping anyone with any struggles with their mental health.”

“Anybody can try it. The biggest thing is your mind. If your mind wants you to
do it, then you’ll do it. If your mind is happy, then your body will follow.”

Not content on completing the World Marathon Majors, Mr Claramunt has already set his sights on completing a 100-mile run over the summer, and
his immense running progress should serve as an inspiration to any aspiring runners of any ages.