Interview with Dr. Ed Coats

So what made you decide to do 30 at 30?

I've been to the south pole with Ben Fogle and James Cracknell and that inspired me to want to do something else but I've got a full time job that involves working hospital shifts. I wanted to do something that was tough and then I got into a conversation with a friend of mine, Bernie Shrewsbury, who actually trained us for the south pole expedition. He is doing 50 at 50 and so inspired me to do this that is quite an undertaking! I want to inspire people who have busy lives with work, family and so on who may want to do a couple of challenges and work towards them.

How do you fit it into a busy life?

What I try to do is use time in the day that is, what I call, useless time - like going to work. Rather than spending 20 mins in the car you can walk or cycle. Every penny counts. All those little bits add up. I do every day stuff and build in some bigger stuff during the week. A lot of it is running and cycling. I also swim. In a couple of weeks time I will be doing a 2 mile swim in the Thames. Building the swimming back in after being a former swimmer is quite a challenge! Recovey is important too though so I make time for this as well. I am fortunate to be sponsored by X Bionic. Not only do they make great compression clothing that helps with recovery but also use technology that regulates body temperature.

How did the Edinburgh Rat Race go?

I did it with my sister Caroline and we finished 7th mixed pair! It involved several disciplines including running, biking and kayaking. We had to orienteer around the streets of Edinburgh and complete different challenges. Some were quite crazy like getting your head shaved! My Sister took the back of her hair off so we got maximum points there!

You have a partner to do every challenge with you. Have you allocated all the spots?

My sister is joining me again for the swim . I would like to do one with Ben and James at some stage when they get back from their race across America and Iwan Thomas is going to do one. We ran most of London Marathon together this year. I've put the ball in his court to see what he wants to do.

How well has your background in decathlon prepared you for this year?

It's really quite different as I found out when I went to the south pole. Doing the ten events in the decathlon over 2 days is nothing like doing something on your feet for 18 hours a day for 20 days in a row. I'm slipping out of my comfort zone in these endurance challenges.

What is has definitely given me is the discipline and focus. I am slightly obsessive about gettting things done and that has been hugely helpful.

Are any of the events purely running or are they all multi discipline?

I have the Endurancelife Dartmoor Mountain Marathon coming up this weekend that I will do with a friend of mine from Bristol. He is a decent sub 3 hour marathon runner. I think he will be dragging me up most of the hills! I also plan to do the  Scotland coast to coast which is sponsored by Nokia and is the  first time they've done it. I'm planning to run it with a decathlon friend of mine, Dean Macy. I'm not sure he's too pleased with me but he's going to do it!

Has your running style changed at all?

Yes. On the track it's all about high knee lift for sprinting but I've learnt quite gradually that it's more about moving your feet in an efficient way.

With the challenges that lie ahead for you I'm sure running efficiently is of high priority! We wish you the best of luck with all of them and hope you will keep us posted on your progress.

Yes - I look forward to updating you. Please also keep an eye on my website where I keep a weekly blog with updates on all the of the challenges that I've completed.