Striders Spotlight : Jordan Lister

Next in the Striders Spotlight is Jordan Lister. Jordan joined Striders in May 2016 and has been a member of the publicity team for the last couple of years.

Jordan Lister

Age

36

Occupation

Housing consultant… it’s about as exciting as it sounds!

Reason you started running?

The first time I went for ‘a run’ was to blow off steam. It really worked! That was 2003 and since then, running has been a constant (and growing) part of my life.

Favourite race distance?

Probably the half marathon – although, for me, nothing beats the feeling of crossing the line at the end of a full marathon. It’s just a shame about the 3+ hours that precede that moment!

Favourite running race and route?

The Stampede is a little bit special. I took part for the first-time last year and, final 8th lap aside, it was just a brilliant day. And that was before the beer and pizza.

As for my favourite route… Serge Hill. What else? 

Running goals?

A sub-3 hour marathon remains the big one. Not sure I’ll ever get there but I enjoy the training!

How often do you train?

On average, 5 or 6 times a week. Until recently, Striders on a Tuesday, parkrun on a Saturday, and a long(ish) run on a Sunday provided the backbone of most weeks… I’m looking forward to that being the case again before too long.

What motivates you?

First and foremost, the knowledge that whatever the run - and irrespective of how good, bad, windy, wet, etc. it is - I will walk back through my front door pleased I went.

Most memorable run/race? 

The New York Marathon in 2016 will take some beating. Pristine blue skies and a PB on race day helped, as did the presence of friends and family. It was a wonderful few days. Trump getting elected on our penultimate day was, to put it mildly, a bit of a downer but many good memories had been safely locked away by that point. 

Injuries

I’ve had a few over the years. Fracturing an ankle coming down the hill at Tring parkrun was a particular favourite (I still haven’t been back!). Less heroically, I have collapsed arches (or, flat feet) which cause problems from time to time but decent insoles largely keep them in check…

Other hobbies

Playing board games! At this point, there are probably more board games in my house than there are running shorts, tops and socks combined… I could say so much more but, for fear of boring people senseless, I’ll merely say that it’s a hobby that brings me as much joy as running does – even when I’m losing (and especially when one of my guilty pleasures is close to hand)! 

Guilty pleasure?

Double IPAs and stuffed crust pizzas. (Don’t tell anyone, but these are the real reasons I run…)