Cooling down with Ultra-runner Mark Pappenheim

With the Brighton Marathon taking place this Sunday, CommunityAd had the pleasure of catching up with the Run Leader of Lewes Athletic Club, Mr Mark Pappenheim.

Mark Pappenheim talks to us about his introduction to running before competing, his favourite races and the physical, social and mental benefits that running has given him…

What first got you into running and when did you realise this was something you wanted to take on competitively?

It was my friend Colin who persuaded me to join Lewes AC’s couch-to-5K beginners’ running class about six years ago, shortly before I turned 60. I’d had a triple heart bypass three years earlier, after a lifetime of laziness and desk work.

But, after discovering the joys of aerobic exercise – ie. prancing about too old disco hits – as part of my “cardiac rehab” programme, I realised that I actually liked the feeling of being fit and was looking for some other activity to do. I thought about taking up swimming or cycling, but I don’t much like getting wet, while bikes are expensive, so running seemed a cheaper option, and I could see how much pleasure Colin got out of it.

So, 10 weeks after joining the LAC beginners’ course, and not having run at all since I left primary school, I was running a 5K in just under 30 minutes, and I haven’t really stopped running since then – in fact, I’m now part of the leadership team that delivers the LAC course to new beginners!

Doing races sort of came naturally after that since I ended up joining LAC, and the club encourages its members to take part in various local “fun run” events – actually muddy five-mile cross-country races – and then, since I’m not very fast but can keep going for quite a long time, I started doing longer distances, including quite a few marathons and a couple of ultras (ie. races longer than the standard marathon distance of 26.2 miles).

What have been your most memorable races so far?

Sadly, most of my longer races are memorable for the wrong reasons, ie. I usually get absolutely agonising leg cramps at around mile 18! But oddly I managed to evade the cramps when I did my very longest run to date, the 53-mile Race to the King along the South Downs Way from north of Arundel to Winchester, and I’ll never forget the sheer relief of running the last three or so miles down into the city, past an enormous field of poppies, just as the sun was setting, and then crossing the finish line right in front of the ancient cathedral, hand-in-hand with my two running buddies, Colin and Anne (the ultra queen).

The Beachy Head Marathon is also wonderfully scenic, even if it does involve the cramp-inducing challenge of scaling all Seven Sisters just at the very end, and I also really enjoyed the Weald Challenge 50K Ultra, which follows a figure-of-eight route along both the Wealdway and the Vanguard Way from Chiddingly up to the Ashdown Forest and back.

But then, living in Lewes, cradled within the Downs, I’m lucky to have all sorts of beautiful places to run through right on my very own doorstep: this morning, for instance, three friends and I just ran up to Blackcap, with its amazing views out to Brighton and all around, and then ran back down through the almost unknown dry valley of Offham Coombe, before ascending the hill again to the grassy vantage point known locally by the curious name of the “Treacle Mines”, from which Simon de Montfort’s lookouts spied upon the town before the historic Battle of Lewes in 1264.

How has the sport of running and more specifically Lewes Athletic Club helped you overall from a physical, mental and social aspect?

Running, especially running in the open air (so get off those treadmills, folks!), is great for your physical health, of course, but it also works wonders for your mental health, not least for your sense of self-esteem.

If I’ve had a stressful day or a sleepless night, there’s nothing better than going for a run to help clear my head, lift my spirits and refocus my thoughts – and, though I’m still no Adonis, of course, I do feel much happier in myself for being trimmer and fitter and slightly lighter on my feet. And, through first learning to run in a group and then joining Lewes AC, which offers regular weekly group runs and track sessions, I’ve found a whole new circle of friends I’d never have met otherwise in my pre-running days when I barely ever left my house except to go shopping or catch a train.

What races are you looking forward to taking part in this year and how are you able to juggle between work commitments and running?

 I’m lucky to be a freelancer so, as long as I get the work done to the deadline, it’s up to me when I actually do it. That makes it easier to fit in all my running, even during the working week, including my various commitments to Lewes AC, like leading Tuesday-evening or Sunday-morning group runs or delivering Saturday-morning track sessions and beginners’ classes.

This year I’ve already got quite a busy racing calendar stretching right through into the autumn, ranging from the return of the annual Lewes AC Easter Fun Run and the brand-new Rathfinny Half Marathon, offering two laps around a local vineyard, to the Focus 10K, held in aid of the Chailey Heritage Foundation, and my fourth or fifth attempt at the Beachy Head Marathon.

But I guess the one I’m most looking forward to is the Race to the Stones, a 60-mile run along the Ridgeway, ending up in the mystic stone circle at Avebury. I should have done it in 2020, but it was cancelled because of Covid; then last year I couldn’t do it because I carelessly injured myself about two weeks beforehand; so this year is my last chance to do it or I forfeit the rather pricey entrance fee!

www.lewesac.co.uk

Written by Matthew Hemmings

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