WMTRC: G.B. & N.I.'s Kris Jones Adds Another String to His Bow

Welsh multi-disciplinarian could be the surprise package in a team full of big names.

After the Scafell Pike Marathon, the Great Britain and Northern Ireland trial for the Short Trail race at next weekend's World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, one competitor described the course as "perfect for a runner who is good at everything."

It should perhaps be no surprise then that the race was won by an athlete who has already represented G.B. & N.I. in road running, track, cross country and orienteering: Kris Jones.

Certainly a generalist, you'd hardly call Jones a Jack-of-all-trades; 12th place in the European Cross Country Championships in 2018, taking team gold; personal bests of 13:45 and 28:23 for 5,000m and 10,000m; 63:05 for the half marathon, set in the World Championships in Poland in 2020; individual and team medals at the European and World Orienteering Championships respectively.

When the Welshman races in Chiang Mai he will add a 5th discipline to his national team C.V., something which may in itself be a unique achievement.

With all eyes on Jonathan Albon, Jones' Short Trail teammate and 2019 I.A.U. Trail World Champion, the Swansea Harriers athlete might be a revelation for many come race day.

He took some time out of training to tell us about life as a multi-discipline athlete.

Do you think that competing across a broad range of disciplines makes you a stronger athlete overall?

"Competing in different disciplines seems to work for me, my life, and what I want to achieve with running. There is transfer from one event to another - the time spent developing speed on the track benefits me when racing on the hills and vice versa for the strength developed on the hills. There is a big overlap between the qualities you need to perform in the different disciplines. Of course, I don't know if I could be better in any one discipline if I focussed on it 100% of the time but I think that being a generalist has opened up a lot of opportunities that I wouldn't have had otherwise."

You've said that running the trial was a welcome break from the roads and the track, where you can end up feeling like you're chasing times. Are the rewards of different disciplines different?

"It is a different mindset between the disciplines. Track is a pure test of how fast you can run, both on paper and in comparison to the others on the start line that day. I enjoy that aspect of track but it can become frustrating when the finishing time matters more than the placing. Hill running and XC are a good antidote to that because it is just about getting to the finish line as fast as possible. The course and conditions mean that you can't compare too much race to race. That is more in line with my background as an orienteer, where each race is new and unique. It is about keeping myself engaged with different challenges."

You've maintained some of the multi discipline approach through your training for the Worlds, racing on the roads (and winning) at the Manchester Half Marathon as a tune-up. What's your take on specificity when it comes to training across disciplines? How much do things change if you're training for road vs. xc vs. trail etc.?

"There are specific challenges to different races but I believe there is more in common between different disciplines than there is different. My training remains mostly the same, but the key sessions I do in preparation for each event change. Before the World Orienteering Championships, where I was racing around flat Danish towns for between 6 and 15 minutes, I did more sessions focussing on speed and power - that also fit well with the track racing I did earlier in the year. For Thailand, I have been doing more long runs and hills. For me, the most important things are training consistently and arriving on the start line healthy - everything else comes after that."

You've raced for your country many times, most recently at the World Orienteering Championships in June. Does it still feel different or special? Is your thinking different in the run up to a major championship?

"It is still special. It is special to represent your country and it is special to know that you are on the start line alongside some of the very best athletes in the World. Things do change in the run up to a championship - I try to have more focus on my preparations for some weeks before but it is mostly small improvements. The main thing I have learned is to try to enjoy championship races. There is a lot of pressure sometimes, from yourself or from others, but I seem to perform best when I am relaxed and enjoying the experience."

You're based in Scotland, where the autumn weather is a little cooler than conditions in Thailand. Have you been doing anything to prepare for racing in warmer weather?

"I haven't done anything yet but I will do some heat acclimatisation before travelling - mostly via hot baths and extra clothes on runs. We are in Thailand for a little over a week before the competition, so that should help with acclimatization also."

The Short Trail race starts at 7:30am local time on Saturday 5th of November.

Photos courtesy of High Terrain Events and W.O.C. 2022/Kell Sønnichsen.