Need the motivation to keep running? Read Christopher's comeback story and be inspired! 

Can you introduce yourself to our readers?

Hi, my name is Christophe. I am 33 years old and live in Belgium. I’m engaged to my girlfriend and we have 2 children together. Our daughter Quinn is almost 5 years old and our little boy Mason is turning 2 next month. We love to travel and enjoy our lives. I like to drink a glass of good wine or a beer and I enjoy eating well. Thank god that I like running so much, otherwise, I would have a big problem!

How long have you been running and how many events did you participate in?

I started running in 2015.  In the beginning, I didn’t run on a regular basis but at the end of the year, I went to a personal coach where I had to do a physical test. From that moment, I started running on a regular basis. At first, it was 3 times a week but increased to 5 times in the week now. My first race was in April 2015 and up to now, I ran around 25 races including 3 marathons.

What is your main motivation when running? (why do you run)

At first, I wanted to lose some weight. But since I started running on a regular basis, I really fell in love with running and I couldn’t imagine a life without running anymore. I also like to challenge myself and push my limits. I’m not only setting goals on a short term but also long term. I have also given myself a big goal, that is to run 50 marathons before I turn 50 years old. You may also follow this on my blog.

What do you enjoy most about running?

What’s not to enjoy about running? You get to spend time outside and there is no better way to discover a new place by putting on your running shoes and getting out. When I go on a holiday, my running shoes will be one of the first things to pack. Something I like a lot is the respect in the running community towards each other. It doesn’t matter how far or how fast you go but runners respect each other because you get out and do your thing. This is something you rarely see in other sports.

What do you not like about running?

The only thing I don’t like is to run in the dark. During winter time, it’s not easy to go out and run during the day so sometimes you just don’t have a choice. You need to motivate yourself more compared to summer or spring.

What are your biggest achievements as a runner?

My biggest achievement was when I finished my first marathon. When I started running, I didn’t have the intention to become a marathon runner and I never thought that I would be able to run this distance. When I ran my first marathon in Antwerp, it was a very special race for me and the most beautiful experience I had was crossing the finish line together with my little daughter. On top of that, I was also very happy I ran my first marathon in less than 4 hours.

Have you been injured before? If yes, what sort of injury and how did you overcome it?

I didn’t have a real injury up till now, so I am very happy about this. I did have something else but I will talk about this later

Do you have any advice on how to avoid injuries?

A very important thing is to give your body the time to recover. Sometimes you need to add some resting days especially after completing a race or if you had a tough work-out. After I finished my run, I always do some stretching. This helps a lot in preventing sore legs the next day.

What is your take on meals before, during and after a race?

I think it depends on the distance you run. I only started to think about this when I was preparing for my first half marathon. As soon as you start to run for 2 hours or around 20 km you need to make sure you have the necessary equipment with you. I always bring some energy gels during my long runs so I can keep my energy level stable.

When I prepare for a marathon, I start to change my eating habits a few days before the race. It’s very important that you eat a lot of carbs the days before the race because you will need them during the marathon. I also stop drinking alcohol a month before the marathon.

After the race, I try to drink a recovery drink. Most of the time this is just chocolate milk. A lot of people buy recovery shakes from well-known brands but to me, chocolate milk is perfect and is a lot cheaper!

Do you have a memorable running experience/story to share with us?

My first race was a race I will never forget. In April 2015, I was going to run my first 10km race in Brussels together with a colleague. I ran the distance before, so I thought this wouldn’t be a problem. That same weekend, I was building a playground in our garden and I wanted to have it finished before I would go to the race. I started in the morning and I continued until I had to leave. I didn’t have anything proper to eat or drink during the day.

We arrived in Brussels on time and the weather was bright and sunny. Everything was looking good for a nice race. The first kilometer passed by really fast. I've never run this fast during my training. Brussels is not a flat course, so I was getting into trouble. I had to start walking for a while to catch my breath. After a while, I started running again but not as fast as compared to the beginning. I did not feel great. When I reached the sign of kilometer 9, everything turned black and I collapsed. I remember waking up in an ambulance. I had to vomit and after, lost consciousness again. The next time I woke up, I was on a bed in the hospital. I was scared and I could not remember a thing. The nurses asked me some questions but I was not able to answer them. I could not even remember my own address.

After a while, my colleague found out what happened to me and he contacted my girlfriend so she could come to the hospital. In the hospital, I lost consciousness again for a while. They did all kind of tests to see what happened. When I saw my girlfriend, I was happy but also very scared because I still couldn't figure out what just happened. On the first night, I had to stay at intensive care unit. The following days, they did several tests to see if I was ok. In the end, nothing was wrong. It was a combination of different things which made this happen.  The doctor advised me not to start running long distances. He gave me the motivation to do just the opposite. I got in contact with a personal coach and from that moment it became serious.  Exactly 2 years after my run in Brussels, I ran my first marathon without any problems. And it wouldn’t be my last one! Who knows I’ll be running Limassol one day too!

If you could give a single piece of advice to new runners what would it be?

Be patient! When you start running you don’t have to think you will be able to run 5 km without any practice. You have to take your time to increase your mileage and see how your body reacts when you start running another distance. Don’t focus on the speed of other runners. You never know how long they have been running for and how much they have trained. The longer you run, the easier it gets.

Christophe had an amazing story to share and definitely a lot of helpful advice. If you want to see and hear more from him feel free to check out his website and social media. 

We hope to see you next year at the start line!

Follow Christophe

Website: www.runningdevers.wordpress.com 

Facebook: @runningdevers

Instagram:@running_devers