World-class West Norfolk marathon runner and former Los Angeles Marathon winner talks about her career

Natasha Cockram is a world-class marathon runner who lives and trains in West Norfolk, as explained to Your Local Paper columnist Gavin Caney.Natasha was the women’s Welsh marathon record holder, and the sixth fastest UK female to complete the distance (two hours, 26 minutes and 14 seconds) until Clara Evans ran 2:25:04 in December.After becoming the British marathon champion in 2020, she drove around the NC500 with her husband and their three dogs as her ‘recovery’ week.Cockram turned professional in 2020 but has continued to work in human resources and also runs her own coaching business.After winning her second 26.2-mile race (Newport Marathon) she used the prize money to buy a pony for £500.If Natasha wasn’t a marathon runner she would’ve liked to have been a jockey or triathlete.Name: Natasha Cockram (nee Wilson) Date of birth: November 12, 1992 Grew up in: Cwmbran, WalesAchievements (selected): Multiple national titles, Los Angeles Marathon winner 2021, British marathon champion in 2020PBs: Marathon 2:26:14; Half marathon 1:10:04 Sporting hero: Dame Jessica Ennis-HillInstagram: @natasha.cockram Cross country at school – is it something you loved rather than loathed?Cross country is what got me into running. My primary school entered a county race and asked me to take part, I did and won the race.After winning I decided I liked it and started running around my parents’ farm as ‘training’ and then joined the local running club.I always loved cross country but as I progressed I just fell in love with road running more.After being a student-athlete in America, you took a year off running. How much did you need the rest and how did you get back into the sport? The year off was forced in a way as I had knee surgery and the rehab went wrong but despite it being forced I was in no rush to get back as I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue.My whole university life revolved around running and not in a healthy way.I had the most amazing team-mates but it was no secret that the majority suffered from eating disorders and the rate of stress fractures and chronic fatigue was high.The year out gave me time to find myself again and get healthy! I started jogging with my dog before being persuaded by the local running team (Micky Morris Racing Team) to join them for some runs.I am very grateful to them for getting me back into running and am still a member of the team today.I got back into racing through mountain and trail running before then doing my first marathon.Was it your stunning debut marathon (2:49:37) in 2017 that convinced you to get a coach and take it more seriously? Yes, I ran Dublin Marathon a week after a mountain race and off of no marathon training so running a 2:49 made me wonder what I could do if I trained properly.That’s when I joined American coach, Tony Houchin. Choosing a coach was difficult because of the negative coaching experience I had at university.I chose Tony because of his laid-back ways and it was absolutely what I needed at the time. He helped me progress massively– we just missed the Olympic selection for Tokyo. Whilst I am no longer coached by Tony he was, and always will be, a huge part of my athletic career and success.What does a normal week’s training look like if you’re fit and gearing up towards a race? When at the peak of a marathon block, I generally run anything between 100 to 120 miles a week.The week is broken down into two hard sessions – one interval-based, one threshold-based based and also a hard long run.The rest of the miles are all steady running or recovery runs. I don’t track what I eat, I find tracking ends up in me obsessing.I eat three to four balanced meals a day and in between, I eat to hunger, which is often as marathon training certainly requires a lot of fuelling. Running the world and Olympic standard qualifying time in Valencia in December 2022 was an incredible achievement. Where does this rank among your other brilliant successes, including finishing 30th for Great Britain at the 2023 World’s?Valencia was by far my biggest success but also winning the Los Angeles Marathon five weeks after running London was a big highlight of my career.From mile one in Valencia, I was going faster than I had planned but everything just came together and it felt so smooth and easy so instead of slowing down I got faster! By mile 24 I knew I was on for a big personal best but I certainly didn’t expect to qualify for the World Championships.During the race I have little recollection of my surroundings as my only focus was to keep moving forward. I was in a big group so just got carried along by the other runners.Injury put paid to your hopes of making next month’s Olympics. Can you tell us a little about the issue and how your recovery is going?Yes – it has been the biggest low of my career. Just 10 days out from what would’ve been my Olympic Trial race I was doing my final workout, it was going well, I felt comfortable but five miles in I heard and felt something in the back of my knee pop. It was the meniscus root.Rehab has been slow but it has been progressing in the right direction. I am back running six days a week and hope to race by the end of the year.What do you love most about running and what tips would you give to someone wanting to get their trainers on?I love the freedom it gives, it’s one of the few things that allow me to completely switch off from work and everyday life.I also love how it challenges me and gives me a way to push myself physically and mentally. It is also a great way to meet people. I am super fortunate to be sponsored by Asics and through that I have friends all around the world.My advice to someone wanting to get their trainers on is just get out and do it, even if you don’t feel like it in the moment you will always feel better after, even if it’s just a 15-minute jog!Finally, you moved to Norfolk in 2020 and now live near King’s Lynn. How does training in the flat and windy Fens compare to the hills of Wales?The flat roads are great when doing the fast workouts, when it’s not windy.The wind can make things very challenging. My coach probably wonders why my mile splits jump from five-minute miles to nine-minute miles when the target pace is 5:20 but we make it work.Sometimes it just has to be done on effort levels rather than pace. It’s certainly different and challenging. I miss the hills for the strength side when doing my steady runs but I don’t miss how much more it rains in Wales.