Tom

1. Introduce Yourself and tell us where you’re from - Tom plater, windsor, uk

2. what does running meant to you? Through my life to date, running has filled the spaces that most people experience: fitness, escapism, routine, wellbeing and exploration. Most recently it’s become two distinct elements in my life: a mechanism for me to strive for limitations and something that facilitates time with people that is usually interrupted by routine life.

3. have you always been into runng? I enjoyed cross country at school, I seemed to be suited to the endurance element of it – and I loved the solitude and escape from a challenging prep school experience. I lost motivation for running when I got to university but after I left, I decided on the NYC Marathon, 2007, in an act of total ignorance and blind faith. I was living in ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, as the Emperor – I had all the bravado backed up by a pathetic training plan and a ridiculous diet (inc Rocky style pints of eggs), I was probably 25kg too heavy to be getting round the course - and no-one was reaching out to tell me the obvious. But I got it done in a painful 05:39.
All that changed when I got myself to Sandhurst - my love of, and necessity to, get faster and stronger took hold. I loved everything about the physical element of this career and again found a fairly natural adaption to physical endurance. I’ll be forever grateful for what I took away from this experience – mental and physical fortitude, camaraderie, self-discipline and the people that shaped my life.
Within this time, I put my marathon demons to bed with a 03:24 at the Belfast Marathon, 2013, not a course for PB’s but I loved everything about running in this place and recording a time I was happy with.
More recently my ambitions have focused on the longer distances, 100km, 100miles, and beyond, but that’s my next chapter.

4. can you run us through some of the more recent challenges you’ve faced? In 2019 I was diagnosed with bowel cancer – that year a close friend’s death pushed me to get checked out for symptoms I’d ignored for months. I very quickly faced a whirlwind of multiple surgeries and months of recovery, with my wife and young son as passengers. I was physically and mentally crushed, all my self-defined purpose vanished in a few months.
I went into the surgery fixated on my physical recovery but failed to recognise the toll it was going to take on me and my family.
Most of my life fell apart over the next few years, I caused a lot of hurt to a lot of people, and on multiple occasions I came close to decisions I wouldn’t have been able to walk away from. Post-surgery I faced adaptions that I thought could take me away from running full time. I was embarrassed about the physical outcomes, I couldn’t come to terms with what my recovery was going to take, my pride got in the way of getting back into training and even entering events.
But the Farm 2 Fan 2020 came to existence and was the perfect solution, without it I wouldn’t have come back as quickly as I did, or maybe at all. It was the prospect of running in the Welsh hills, with a brotherhood that knew my past experiences and wouldn’t judge me for my failings, along with some hacking banter. That Farm 2 Fan, and the people that were a part of it, became the stepping stone to a 100km in 2021 and then the Norths Down Way, 100miler, 2022.

Fast-forward to 2024, with life back on track, my wife and I were blessed with the birth of our daughter in May. Unfortunately, within 2 months I was back in hospital with another major surgical emergency – I’d somehow avoided another near-death situation but was physically back to square one, 5yrs earlier. However, my life this time is very different – I have a new learned resilience and now a rage that’s fixated on what’s yet to come.
Running, and physical activity is a huge part of my life and wellbeing. I’ve been very fortunate in this life, and I’m continually learning to recognise this.

5.⁠ ⁠⁠if time and money were not constraints, where would running take you?
I’m going to keep this humble: there’s so much of the UK and Ireland that I haven’t explored with my running, this is probably where my big ambitions lie. Put it down to the algorithms but as I was getting ready to get out hospital this year my phone was full of stories of the 3 peaks. There have been some records broken recently for running it, down to 4.5 days and 6.5 days, male and female. I’m in no position to be breaking records but it’s this sort of event, as well as the trailblazing nature of the people completing these distances, made me remember the types of places we have really easy access to on these islands.

6. what’s your go to nutrition choice nowadays? Proven combination: Percy Pigs - fruit chew variety (still waiting on the M&S sponsorship), Tailwind - Endurance Fuel Mix and Precision Hydration – Precision Fuel chews.

7.⁠ ⁠⁠do you listen to music when running / working out? If so, give us five songs from your playlist:
Steady runs are usually an audiobook (recently Bob Mortimer’s collection) or podcast (Chatabix / Guardian / Ways of Making You Talk / Respectful Parenting / File on 4, etc.) but decent sessions deserve some music. I’ll give you top 5 from this year.

8 Mile, Eminem. The guy epitomises what it takes to deal with a struggle, especially in this track, but this beat is a classic medium tempo cadence.

Wolves, Rag n’ Bone Man. Speaks for itself, my soundtrack to our Lone Wolf 2024 attempt. Defining memories of this year.

Jesus Walks, Kanye West. Iconic song from my uni days (end credits to Jarhead), but also a bit of anthem for my recovery this year.

Home Sweet Home, Motley Crue.

Dragonfly, Shaman’s Harvest.

8. Do you have a dream event or race? I do. My dream event is probably your answer to qu 12, but I can give you my next goals – (1) I’m gunning for Cocodona 2026 with my brothers, (2) I’m looking to run the UK 3 peaks in July 2025.

9. have you ever had any funny halLucinations? NYC Marathon, Oct 2007. Elvis.
North Downs Way, 104.5mile run, completed in 23:29, Aug 2022.
Getting through the graveyard shift, roughly 03:00-04:00, in an enclosed Kent footpath surrounded by fields, with zero light pollution, I saw a full-size HGV driving next to me, at a distance of 2m, glowing like the ‘Coca-Cola’ Christmas truck. I’d only been running for about 22 hrs but the night before had been restless and I picked up the nickname Turbo Tom for a reason – I’m baggage without my 6hrs.

10.⁠ ⁠⁠if there was one world crisis that you could solve what would it be and why?
Close to home this one, probably because of my time of life – the care system for our older population. I’ve been extremely fortunate to see my three remaining grandparents survive into very old age. However, it’s been a stark exposure to the deficiencies of our care system. Within the private sector, at significant cost, the provision is just about sufficient. But within the state system, or even on the fringes where only home assistance might be required, we’re not doing enough for this generation. I’m fortunate again to have a large family, we’ve been able to share the load: visits, supplementary supervision, financial support - on top of our family routine. But many aren’t in this situation. It seems we’ve collectively forgotten this group of our society and everything they’ve already contributed.

11.⁠ ⁠⁠faith takes many forms, what is faith in your world?
Fundamentally my faith is underpinned by my Christian beliefs. In recent years I’ve bolstered this with lessons from the Stoic philosophy.

More practically, the form it takes in my life, is a perpetual strength, determination and commitment. However, as much as its presence is, has been and always be a constant, my conviction towards it and assurance in it has been less continuous.

Like most, I’ve made many significant errors and I’ve also been through my fair share of challenges. In that time, I’ve dismissed and abused my faith, and then returned for significant periods. Life is continually teaching me not just the value of this faith but more deeply the fundamental need for it. I’ve learned lessons in tackling challenges, dealing equally with loss and triumph, and the comfort of uncertainty and the joy of life held in that consistency.

An anecdote you (Andy) and I discussed on the trails (the best place to catch-up); the life-threatening situation this year was one of, if not, the most terrifying episodes of my life – being carted into an ambulance, doubled over in pain, semi-conscious, hallucinating, trying to say goodbye to my family – I had no idea what was happening to me or whether I was walking away from this one. In the hospital, with that fear, waiting for emergency surgery – I was completely alone. I’ve since had time to reflect on that evening. Deep down I know, even through all that pain and uncertainty, there was a presence in that room with me, a hand on my shoulder, a comfort that whatever way it was going it was going to be alright.

I’m left with a trust and reassurance from what I believe when going through these events. This gives me the resolve that I’ve so often needed to just keep moving forward. “It’s not about waiting for the storm to pass, but about learning to dance in the rain” - whether it’s a quote, or just an Ikea poster, it’s a lesson I learned in the Army, underpinned by my faith and I’m applying it to what matters most now – my life, my family and my friends.

12. if you could run with one person, from any point in history, who woould it be and why? My Grandmother, Mary, set my family on a path of obsession with the marathon. She took on London 1987, at a time when she was laughed at as an amateur, but was never deterred. In hindsight she was lucky to not get picked up by the jack wagon, but she got it done! This would have been the end of her running story, but her determination became a golden thread through our family.

My uncles took on their own marathons, Detroit and NYC, initially in honour to her but predominantly in competition with each other.

10yrs later, inspired by the example they’d all set and intoxicated by their determination, I picked up the baton of this tradition, with all the trials I explained earlier.

When they were ready, many of my cousins took on the event to keep our collective motivation focused on this challenge. I hope to see our children taking to this distance as we all have, and so Mary Paul’s legacy continues to live on.

If I had the choice, in a mythical period of life, my last run would with be with all those important to me – those that have completed their marathon (my grandmother, my uncles, my cousins) and those yet do get it done (my wife, my children, my nephews and those I’m yet to meet). It’s something we’ve talked about for a long time, but it remains a dream.

13. any final words of wisdom? Keep moving forward.