Runner Profile: Darren Storey
Thanks Dawn for the nomination, if only I could run as well as I can bake!
How it started
I was never really into any sports when I was younger; it was something that I never really took much interest in. I half-heartedly attempted a few things but really couldn’t be bothered most of the time. Football I can’t stand, Rugby I enjoyed sometimes, I wasn’t allowed to play Hockey as I was too violent and the only running I did was running away from the police etc. That left Cross Country but for me Cross Country was the best skive ever. To me it was a 45 min walk around the 3 mile senior course at school.
Then one day I was forced into the 1500 metre race on sports day which I’d managed to avoid taking part in till my 4th year of senior school. It was an odd race I didn’t want to run, I refused to wear trainers and ran in my socks. I basically did everything I could just to be awkward.
The race started, I sauntered off and after half a lap thought I’d better run properly. That was the best decision I ever made, as something really clicked that day and I finished second! That was exactly how it all started for me. After that every time I did cross country I came back first and much to my games teachers surprise I was able to complete the course just over 15 mins. It was at this point the science teacher that used to organise the cross country races suddenly took an interest in me, in a good way!
I soon discovered that Cross country was an even better skive as I could then say to my games teacher “can I train?” I think they were just glad I was actually doing something for once and would just say yes. Off I’d go, do my run, shower and change all in half an hour. Happy days, I had a half hour skive then. On the flip side of this, my teachers soon discovered that they could use the threat of banning me from doing cross country to make me work in class, oh well I’d got away with for most of my school career I supposed I had to work at some point and it was the last year. Running, I soon discovered was beneficial for so many things, it gave me a way to unwind and take me away from being my father’s punch bag, so many things were gained by taking part in that race.
My first official race was the Orwell Sangamo open cross country championship, I came 7th in that and that was the beginning of my running journey.
I rapidly progressed through all various races organised by The Suffolk Amateur Athletic Association much to my Headmasters surprise, with the usual “my god he’s done it again” comment in assembly when giving out the certificates!
I was then given the opportunity to trial for the South Suffolk team. This I did at Chantry Park, and then the next step was a qualifying race for the full team. This was somewhere in Leiston which I managed and was given the rank of 12th in the county for cross country and I was awarded the full Suffolk colours.
My next race was the Six Counties race which was the first of two races to qualify for the England cross country squad. Held at Lincoln, this was two laps of what looked like a mountain coming from Suffolk. Unfortunately, this is where my journey ended as me being me tried to run with tonsillitis whilst taking antibiotics. Not the best idea to say the least, after one lap I walked off feeling dreadful, and threw my teddy in the corner and never ran again until I was in my early thirties.
Life changed then, I started work, eventually starting an engineering apprenticeship in 1983 with FDRC now known as the Port of Felixstowe, I did this for 17 years and then transferred into the Fire/Ambulance section in 2000 and this is where I’ve remained ever since.
After several years of doing nothing but piling on weight, I eventually joined the port gym to see what it was like as I’d always done a bit of weight training in the past that was it I was hooked on exercise then. I lost all the weight felt better and fitter, I took part in a mini triathlon in the gym which consisted of a 5 mile cycle on a dual fitness bike, a 3000 metre row and a 5 mile run on the treadmill. To my surprise I could still run between 5 & 6 minute miles over this distance so that was it trainers on again and off I went. My passion at the time was mountain biking which myself and a couple of mates used to do in the Lake District which was great fun. How we survived I will never know!
I eventually ran my first race as an adult in 1999 which was the Kirton 5, I completed this in just over 32 minutes which I was pleased with as considering I’d spent the whole week constantly climbing up and down a ship to shore crane doing a refurb so there was no lift. I used to regularly take part in a Dragon Boat Triathlon in Rickmansworth where our team would be up against some tough competition including army teams but we remained the reigning champions until it finished.
Unfortunately life got in the way again and the running stopped for a number of years, I almost joined Road Runners in 1999! I wish I had now it would have probably kept me going, the only reason I didn’t was because I am actually quite shy by nature and couldn’t bring myself to do it.
In 2018 I decided to give running another go but ended up with a knee injury, turns out my right knee is arthritic. A young physio told me I would be lucky if I ever ran another mile in my life, this was like a red rag to a bull, it’s my body and I or it will decide when I stop running not some morbidly obese 20 something physio. I did my first Parkrun in July 2018 with a time of 30:03 I then managed to get this down to 23:02 in March 2020 just before the world went mad.
Joining Road Runners
I initially joined road runners as I heard through the grapevine that I could take part in cross country races again, unfortunately I joined in the wrong year as the world shut down for a bit. When I finally got to turn up to a training night I was so nervous I almost didn’t bother, it was only because I knew several people there that I did, and I’ve never looked back since. There have been some ups and downs since joining but life goes on and you just plod along taking the rough with the smooth.
I’ve made some great friends in the club and everyone is so supportive which is so good to see. There are some great characters within the club and it’s always fun in, a sadistic kind of way, although that depends on who’s running the training.
Last year, through Robin and Jo Harper’s hard work in organising it, I was able to finally run cross country again after 39 years absence at Framlingham and for a short period of time I felt like a teenager again, it was the best feeling ever.
The cross country races have been great fun although hard work and the after race picnics have been awesome.
I think the event for me that sums up how supportive this club is was the Ekiden Relay this year when I was the last runner to go and when I got back everyone was waiting for me and ran in with me.
What a feeling, not something I’m used to as everything I’ve ever done has been on my own.
The future
I’m a survivor and I’ve managed to survive everything life has thrown at me. I survived my childhood relatively unscathed and most other problems life has thrown my way.
So I will continue to run and spread myself thin for as much as I’m able to or until I can no longer do it, I won’t be satisfied till I’ve run sub 23 Parkrun or a sub 50 10k after that I can take it easy, he says!
And maybe just once not get chicked by Debbie Cattling or Maz at a race, just once it’s not much to ask!
Oh and eat as much cake as is humanly possible!
Next month
I would like to nominate Tom Stephens for next month’s blog.
