Teenage runner Olivia Forrest plans to build on brilliant cross-country campaign

18/06/2024 13:23

We catch up with English Schools and SIAB champion to talk about an unbeaten cross-country season and her aspirations for future success

Olivia Forrest dominated the cross-country season, remaining undefeated. One standout moment came during the English Schools Cross Country Championships where the 15-year-old stormed past leader Shaikira King, who fell to the ground from exhaustion, to claim the inter-girls victory.

Just one week later, the Brentwood Beagles athlete continued her winning streak by clinching the inter-girls Schools International Athletics Board (SIAB) cross country title.

Beyond the track, she took a convincing win in the under-15 girls race at the TCS Mini London Marathon and also became European biathle champion (a development sport of modern pentathlon) in 2023, despite only qualifying as a reserve.

Her success comes from the support of her family's newly established athletics club, Brentwood Beagles, where she receives coaching from her dad and competes alongside her younger sister, Isabel. She is now setting her sights on maintaining her winning streak on the track as she aims for the European Under-18 Championships this summer.

How did it all start? What got you into running?

I always found my school sports day races quite short, they were only up to 200m long, so my grandad and my dad, who both ran often, introduced me to parkrun. I didn't finish my first one because I fell and hurt my knee but from there I started doing a lot of them. I then got picked up by the local athletics club and started training with them.

How does it feel to have had an unbeaten cross-country season?

It gives me a confidence boost because it puts me in a great position for the races coming up. Having that many wins, whilst it is a lot of pressure it also just shows that I know what I am doing. People recognise me a bit more for what I do and that makes it easier to race overall.

What would say is your biggest achievement to date?

Winning the English Schools and SIAB double. I always had it in the back of my mind that I would be able to win English Schools. Coming off the back of my cross-country season I thought I could stick with the pace and hopefully win it, and I was really proud to have won it, especially whilst being in the lower year.

In the race I didn’t have the best start, I was on the outside and I wasn't in a good pen but by the first lap I was in a good place. I stuck with the leaders and when Shaikira went off I tried to stay with her for most of it. When she pulled away I thought I had something left and I was just hoping to save that, and coming into the home straight I wasn't sure If I could use it but I went anyway. As I sprinted I could see Shaikira was slowing and I took the opportunity to go past her. I wasn't going to slow down for anything, to be honest.

There was a range of emotions in there, obviously feeling bad, but the point is that you are there to win and that is what I came away with.

What is it like to be coached by your dad? And what has the support from your family been like?

We are able to do stuff at home, so I think that gives me an advantage because I'm not just able to see my coach at the track. It's a lot easier to tie things in with my lifestyle, like nutrition, and being able to manage that a lot easier. Since I've been with my dad I've been able to pace races better and not do a 1500m at my 5000m pace because I didn't know any different before.

My parents founded the club I am at and it has grown so much, making it inclusive for everyone, which has really supported me. My dad is my coach and my mum also coaches some of the groups. She is always there to support me no matter how small it may be.

My sister and I both run, and we go out for runs with my dad. When my sister isn't competing at a race I am competing at she is always the loudest person at the side of the track cheering for me.

Who do you look up to and feel inspired by?

I feel inspired by a lot of people, mostly the big ones like Eilish McColgan, Laura Muir and Keely Hodgkinson, but someone who isn't as well-known as they probably should be is Jasmin Paris.

She is pushing the boundaries of what women do in this sport and I think it's incredible. I'm not entirely sure if it [ultra running] is something I would do but it would be something good to try. It would be a bit of a challenge, but I would certainly be up for that at some point, though not anytime soon.

How excited are you for it to be an Olympic year and the inspiration that offers?

I am going to watch the Olympics this year. I think I am going to be able to look at the tactics of some of the big names and how they deal with the pressure from all the other countries.

I will definitely be watching the long-distance races and looking at everyone who inspires me because they will all be competing there. I think it will give me some confidence with how far I can get in the sport, and it will also give me some experience for big races.

What's next?

The European Under-18 Championships is my aim and I know I am in a good place for that. I already have the standard, but I just want to push that a little bit more in the 3000m. I want to hopefully do well at English Schools on the track. I will be in the lower year but hopefully I will be able to place on the podium and go to SIAB because that will be my first year of being able to do that. I will be trying to push my times in the 1500m as well and I am looking to try steeplechase this year but that is just for a bit of fun.

What would you say to yourself when you first started running?

Keep enjoying it. Don't worry that you are not the best at the moment because as long as you keep enjoying it then you are going to be above lots of people.

This feature first appeared in the May issue of AW magazine, which you can read here

The post Teenage runner Olivia Forrest plans to build on brilliant cross-country campaign appeared first on AW.