Jacob Brown

Running was in the family. His dad took him to a local Easter 5K fun run at seven or eight, but football came first until high school, when he tried out for cross country and found he was good at it. That led to Crewe and Nantwich AC, where he discovered he had more speed than most, and on to English Schools and age-group national championships over 800m and 1500m.

At Loughborough University he ran for the first team under coach George Gandy, winning a national mile title and an England best. That earned him a two-year scholarship in America — but it fell during COVID. The first year was lockdown, and in the second, in the shape of his life, he developed hernias that left him barely able to train.

The injuries that followed — hernias, then an Achilles problem, then a plantar issue — cost him the best part of two years. His PBs still date from Loughborough. Today he's rebuilding with eight or nine hours a week on the bike, two strength sessions, and learning to build slowly rather than rush, even though he hates not being where he was. His focus is shifting from the 800m towards a strong 5K.

He now trains with Vale Royal Athletic Club alongside training to become an actuary. Motion gives him coaching, physio support and access to the gym, sauna and ice baths — the things that keep his lower legs settled and make consistent training possible.