Jared Martin - Photo: © John Cairns - www.johncairns.co.uk

Sports: Cross Country - Jared Martin

  • Year: Second
  • Subject: History & Politics
  • Sport: Cross country

Details of your sporting career at Merton and Oxford
I am vice-captain of the University Cross Country Club and member of its Blues Performance Squad. Unfortunately, an ill-timed bout of coronavirus somewhat derailed my running in Michaelmas, but I am hoping to gain a Blue this year.

What got you started in your sport?
I have participated in cross country and athletics since the beginning of secondary school but other sports (tennis and, perhaps more surprisingly, rugby) meant I didn’t take it very seriously. It was when my parents took up running in around 2016 that I began to join them occasionally at parkruns. Quickly, my times improved and I decided to join my local running club.

How do you manage to stay competitive in your chosen sport while maintaining the level of academic work required?
I am naturally an early riser so try to do my easy runs first thing in the morning before I start work. I also find that running is a really time-efficient sport, and one that has immense side benefits in terms of mental and physical health. I believe these help me work more effectively. So, in that sense, running complements my academic work rather than competing with it.

What’s special about the sporting side of life at Merton?
I’ve found Merton to be well-endowed with facilities that support training. It’s also located conveniently close to places where we have our group sessions. Most of all, though, it’s pretty cool to boast Sir Roger Bannister among its alumni – I can think of few more iconic runners out there!

Who is your sporting hero?
Mine is probably a runner from Northern Ireland, where I’m from, called Tommy Hughes. As well as having a very respectable career in his younger days, including a 2h13m marathon in Marrakech in 1992, he currently holds just about every existent over-60 world record in distance running. In April, for example, he ran the Manchester Marathon in the rapid time of 2 hours 30 minutes 5 seconds – at the age of 62!

What’s been your greatest moment on the field of play so far?
It would probably have to be representing Ireland for the first time at the European Mountain Running Championships in Zermatt in 2019. It was an uphill-only race and was really difficult, with altitudes of around 3000m. Yet, the crowds were huge and to wear the green vest amongst some of the best in the world was a pretty special experience. I hope to do it again before too long.

…the worst/funniest/weirdest?
This would probably be at a mountain race in my local range, the Mournes, last year. Although I should have known the course very well, visibility was horrendous and I managed to go in the complete wrong direction and get very lost. After wandering about for a while, I eventually used my compass – which I was very glad to have with me – to navigate myself back to safety. Definitely my worst race, very weird to get so lost in somewhere I knew so well, and quite funny when I saw my ill-fated route on Strava afterwards.

Finally, what word, phrase or mental picture do you use to get yourself through the tough times in your sport?
Most of the time, I’ll find myself repeating a lyric from a song over and over again in my head. This can be anything and tends to pop into my head during my warm-up. Sometimes, my mid-race music tastes are pretty eclectic. For example, in the cross country Varsity Match last year, Simon Jones may be pleased to hear that it was ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ that got me around the course. I think I must have attended a Merton carol service during the week…