Romance of long distance alive and well

HOME AND AWAY DAVID CAMPBELL:FOR THE international athlete, the onset of winter is like the toll of a heavy bell. The good life of the September break – the eating and drinking and generally being merry – has to go.

It’s time to knuckle down again, succumb to the hard slog of constant and repetitive training. The honeymoon period is over, and for David Campbell, this happens to be true in more ways than one.

Campbell had a bitter-sweet summer, improving his 800 metres best to 1:45.59 – the fourth fastest ever by an Irishman – but still narrowly missing out on the A-standard for the World Championships for Berlin. Thomas Chamney, who beat him in the national championships, got to go instead, and the only consolation for Campbell was that he at least won the national 1,500 metres. Next summer, the European Championships are in Barcelona, and at age 27, Campbell, like a lot of Irish athletes, has ambitions to go there in the best shape of his life.

But first things first: at the end of September, after a two-year romance, Campbell got married to Irish pole vault record holder Zoe Brown. Aged 26, Brown also has ambitions of going to Barcelona next summer in the best shape of her life.

Conveniently enough, they’re now marrying their efforts to achieve just that, and earlier this month embarked on a training journey that may briefly double as a honeymoon, but will very soon test their commitment to both their sport and each other.

Between now and Christmas, they’ll be based at Potchefstroom in the heart of South Africa. Campbell previously spent six months there in 2006, which helped contribute to his international breakthrough that summer, when qualifying for the last European Championships in Gothenburg. In the New Year, Brown will stay on in South Africa, while Campbell heads Down Under, to train with Nic Bideau and his group of Australian athletes in the Falls Creek area outside of Melbourne. At the end of March, they’ll briefly reunite, but are already resigned to spending most of next summer apart as well, with Campbell basing himself in London, or else at home in Kildare, while Brown will still be partly based in her native Antrim.

“It’s all about the both of us doing the very best we can in Barcelona next year,” explains Campbell. “Going to South Africa has worked for me in the past. There’s a good attitude down there, good atmosphere, and ideal conditions and facilities. It’s a good bit cheaper than Ireland, and I also love it down there. So part of it is about enjoying my running again.

“For Zoe it’s a big move as well. She’s got the Europeans and the Commonwealth Games next year. She’s been trying to juggle the training with work, but in the pole vault, it’s even more difficult to do that in Ireland, and the facilities in South Africa are so much better. She’ll have an excellent training group down there, including Poland’s Anna Rogowska, who just won the world title in Berlin.”

While they’ll get to share their efforts for the next few months, moving apart obviously won’t be easy. Campbell believes it is all part of the sacrifice, that making it to Barcelona next summer in the best shape possible is what will drive them over the winter months – together, or apart.

“It’s not so much that you can’t do the training in Dublin. The problem is getting the right people to train with, the right training environment. You might meet for a run at 9.0 in the morning, but suddenly that becomes 10.0. The atmosphere just isn’t as professional. I need to be more stringent on discipline, because you have to be. Things get a little loose in Dublin.”

One of the reasons they chose Potchefstroom is because it’s a lot less expensive than Ireland. (It’s also warm, and at a slight altitude; perfect for winter training.) Nevertheless, living the life of a full-time athlete away from home doesn’t come cheap, and Campbell, who is also a qualified massage therapist, is prepared to work where necessary. He’s also been extremely frugal with his grant money, which for 2009 totalled €12,000.

“It is a cheap place to live, but we’ll have to see. Luckily I have a little bit of grant money put aside. But I’m not going worry about it. If I need to get a loan or whatever then I’ll get it from somewhere. I’m not going to get hung up on the costs. I’m only focused about doing everything right for next year, getting the most out of myself. I’d rather focus on the positive things, rather than focus on how I’m going to survive.

“To be the best I can in 2010 I have to stay positive. I showed myself by running 1:45 this year that the talent is there. I just need to get more out of myself. That’s why I’m looking forward to training with better athletes, and getting more scientific as well. It’s easier to do that away from Ireland, because there’s still no real focal point here. In South Africa, you can get the physio, the blood testing, or whatever it is all in the one place.

“Also in Australia in the New Year I’ll be around some of the top guys. Some of the people in Nic’s group are Britain’s Andy Baddeley, the Olympic finalist in the 1,500 metres, Collis Birmingham, the Australian 10km record holder, and Jeff Riseley, who ran 3.32 for 1,500 metres this year. I also want to be in better shape going down to Australia. So it’s about getting some sun on my back, rolling out a few quality sessions down in South Africa, and getting the confidence and momentum rolling a bit quicker for 2010. I can’t wait.”

And who said the romance of the Irish long distance runner was dead?