Tim Jones
Age: 55
How did you first get into running?
Back in 2017 I had a big climbing trip to Yosemite planned. Unfortunately my mother in law fell terminally ill. I cancelled my climbing trip and a while later looked around for a different challenge.
I came across The Fan Dance, the 24km race across Pen Y Fan. I hadn’t done anything like it before but I thought it looked like something an averagely fit farmer could do! I ran it in July 2017. When I was doing it I found out there were people doing the ‘double’ or ‘triple’ and running through the night. You could also do it in the winter. That set my mind going – maybe there was more to this running than I thought.
I decided to do the double the following January. I knew I needed to do some training. The problem was that I’m just not very good at running on my own so I decided to enter some fell races. I ran the Shropshire and South Wales Fell Race Series plus the Mortimer Trail Race organised by Ludlow Runners.
I guess the common factor has always been the hills. Whether it’s been walking, climbing or running I love getting out into the hills and mountains.
What’s a typical running week for you?
Up until recently it’s been a bit chaotic. I like to run with the club on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I also enjoyed some really great longer runs with Greg, Emma, Jo and other club members during the lull in formal races during and after the covid restrictions. I do some long races but I don’t do a lot of training. I think being a farmer and being on my feet all day helps keep my fitness up. So far this year I have run about 1,000km, which isn’t a lot really. That includes all the races I did.
A big change has been using and doing what my Garmin has told me. It usually suggests something a lot slower and shorter than I would have done – but it seems to have helped me in the endurance stuff. Garmin doesn’t have an option to set goals above a marathon unfortunately.
I try to stay off the roads. My knees and hips don’t thank me if I go onto the tarmac.
What’s in the diary?
Nice – 59km UTMB Qualifier – 24th September 2022
After that it’s all about whether I get a place in the ballots for either the UTMB next August or The Western States in California in June. It’ll be my first ballot entry in The Western States so it’s unlikely that I’ll get a place (your chance of getting a place goes up the more times you’re rejected).
I’ll also be running in the Shropshire Hills and South Wales Winter Hills Series this year.
Most Memorable Run
I think it would have to be the Camins de Hèr (Paths of Iron) in the Spanish Pyrenees. It was my first big European Mountain Race and the first major European Race after the Covid lockdown. Everyone was very emotional when it started and we set off down the valley. I think we all realised just how much we had missed these great races. It was 105km with 6,600 metres of ascent. I loved it. That was in July 2021.
Are there any injuries you’ve struggled with?
The only injuries I’ve had have been caused by working with cattle. The last one was when I pulled a tendon in my ankle. I’d turned quickly when a cow had done something stupid. That injury made running last winter a bit difficult. Thankfully it’s better now.
What do you most love about running?
It’s the friendship and camaraderie – both with the club and the mountain running community. It’s also a great way to get out into the hills and mountains. I haven’t sold the climbing gear yet. The bug’s still there but arthritic fingers don’t help. If running keeps up serving the challenges I may not go back to it.
What do you do for a living?
I’m a livestock farmer – cattle and sheep. The farm has been in the family since 1932. It’s only 213 acres plus some extra bits that we rent. It’s still very much a family farm that my wife and I work. The only stuff we don’t do is the machine work which we contract out.
Who do you live with?
With my wife Adeline and daughter Oonagh. Oonagh is off to Ludlow college on Monday to start her A levels. Her name means a sense of oneness, well-being and belonging.
Have you any pets?
We’ve got a cat somewhere and some working dogs.
Can you recommend a good book?
Strangely I looked for a couple of books that I love on my bookshelves the other day. They were both climbing books. One was Feeding The Rat by Al Alvarez about climbing legend Mo Anthoine. The other one was Psychoverical by Andy Kirkpatrick. It’s as much about his life and why we like to challenge ourselves as it is about climbing. They are both fantastic reads.