Name: Gordon Mead

Occupation: Insurance

Home Town: Surbiton:

Questions

What is your running background?

I ran cross country in school from around 9 or 10. I had a good engine but was never fast enough to represent the school at athletics. Then in my early 20s I had a friend who persuaded me to join him on the Great North Run.  We did that three times on the bounce and I have just kept running on and off since then.

In my late 20s another friend said he was running the Rome marathon and would I fancy joining him (which I did).  So then I started running marathons and trying to get my time down.  I eventually got it down to 2.58 at London.  

When did you first start running Ultra marathons and why?

 I was getting very bored of getting my marathon PB down.  I had heard of MDS, Comrades and Badwater but just thought of them as ‘crazy’ races, not a mainstream activity. 

In 2010 a friend of mine and I decided to run in the Swissalpine running festival.  We both did the half marathon and I really struggled with the mountains. Some people were doing 42k and even a 78k.  I was shocked that it was even possible. You got a different t-shirt depending on the distance and the 78k was the best.  The next year, my mate stepped up to the marathon distance for the first time so I thought: I’ve got to step up, do the 78k and get that t-shirt.  I trained hard, really enjoyed it and from then on I moved into ultra distances.   But the 78k t-shirt was a bit rubbish that year.

When or where (at which events) are we most likely to see you?

Centurion events and, more recently, UTMB events.

What are your personal key running achievements to date?

2nd place in GUCR 2025 in 28:44

4th in UK 24 hour running championship 2025 with 206k

What Races do you have planned up to Spartathlon

NDW 100

Have recently completed MIUT and UTS

What was your hardest experience?

My first 100 miler: Thames path 100. My head torch ran out of battery so I had to desperately tag on to people in a dark forest.  I developed a leg problem which meant that I walked from mile 60 and, after walking through a cold night, my body seized up like a frozen T-1000 at mile 80.  I was ready to quit at mile 95 but my partner persuaded me to carry on.

What is your typical race strategy for an ultra?

Start at the back and just go slow and steady.  Hopefully move up the placings by slowing down less than others.

What does a typical training week look like?

Run 5 – 6 days a week (50-80 miles I suppose), mostly on the Thames. I’m getting more diligent on strength and conditioning to help prevent injury as I age.

What one tip would you pass onto people running an Ultra marathon for the first time?

Focus on being in the moment and getting from one mile to the next. 

Tell us one interesting fact about you?

My usual ‘interesting fact’ is that I run ultras.  But for this audience I’ll say that I grew up in Baghdad, during the Iran-Iraq war.

Have you taken part in the Spartathlon before?

No

How did you get on?

N/A

What tip would you pass on to those taking part for the first time?

N/A

What are you looking forward to at the Spartathlon race?

The whole freakin experience: meeting the GB team, speaking to other spartathletes, soaking up the atmosphere, and kissing that foot.  

What are you not looking forward to during the Spartathlon race?

Difficult to say as I want to experience all of it, even (especially?) the hard parts. I think the tricky part will be calibrating how fast to go in the first day to beat the cut offs but without overheating. Also, I can see myself having major imposter syndrome.

How will you prepare specifically for the Spartathlon race?

I’m working with Camino Coaching on this – thank you to Darren Strachan and David Bone.  I shift more of my running to be on tarmac, have some sauna sessions and work on downhill running.  As part of my preparation I’ll be running the North Downs Way 100 in August.

Will you be bringing any support crew to the race? (If so, please introduce them briefly)

I’ll be joined by my brother-in-law, Andy. He’s a great endurance athlete but it’s the first time he’s crewed me so let’s see if the relationship survives the experience!  I’ll also have the support of Camino Coaching.