Inspiring striding - Malcolm Keys

We have so much love for our happystride community ❤️ You guys are so inspiring and we want to get to know you a little better...and we know others would like to as well.

SO we bring you to....the next post in our blog series ..."Inspiring striding"!!! We have the brilliant Malcolm Keys join us!🖊

We are sooo pleased to have Malcolm as our guest! Malcolm is a massive happystride fan and owns 22 pairs of shorts, he is a massive advocate for us always talking to happystiders at races and helped us at the National running show a couple of years ago. Malcolm got into running in 2012 and has run 17 marathons!

So if you want to know where Malcolm's favourite place to run is, who his running inspiration is and what his dream race is please read on!

Thanks so much Malcolm for joining in with our blog ❤️ 

Inspiring striding - Malcolm 

How long have you been running for and how did you originally get into it?

I took up running in 2012 to help with my mental health.

Where is your favourite place to run?

At home on Southend seafront, I never tire of THE ever changing moods.

Tell us a bit about your running experience? PBs, etc?

I have run 17 marathons and countless halfs & 10ks. My marathon PB is 3:46 and half is 1:40, both need to come down 😊.

What are your top tips?

Invest in a gait test to buy the right shoes, do the right stretches and respect the strains we put on our bodies to avoid injury.  

What’s your greatest running achievement?

Running the Chelmsford Marathon in 2019 a week after a friend of mine passed away from cancer, it is the hardest race I’ve ever completed but the sponsored people gave me in her memory for Havens Hospices got me through. 

What does your running schedule typically look like and how do you fit it into your life?

I run 6 days a week, Monday is my day off followed by Easy, Effort, Easy, Effort, Parkrun and Sunday long run. I aim for 45-50 miles a week all set and managed by my coach Paul Whittaker.

What’s your dream race?

New York Marathon which I will be running in November of this year. 

What’s your favourite running trainer and why?

I have run in Nike for many years but recently switched to Saucony for my easy runs which I’m really enjoying, we will see if it’s a permanent switch.

What food do you take on before a long run and what nutrition do you use to get you through races?

I eat a seeded bagel with peanut butter 2 hours before a long run. During races I use Bloks and Salt Sticks.

How do you like to celebrate after a race?

Guinness.

Who are your running inspirations and why?

Eliud Kipchoge - his quotation of “no human is limited” encapsulates our limitless potentials.

Do you have any lifetime running goals? If so, what are they?

I would like to lower my marathon and half PBs, and I would like to run in New York’s Central Park which I will achieve in November.

What’s your favourite happystride pattern and why?

 I’ve always loved my Along Came Polly pink shorts.

If you could design the next pair of happystride shorts, what pattern would you choose and why?

Roses.

Wow, thank you so much Malcolm for joining us and answering our questions! Stay tuned for our next 'inspiring striding' blog in our series where we will have another inspiring guest!