Andy Maud (October, 2015)
Born 28/07/1983
On the 3rd of October, 2015 the biggest surprise was not just that a young Tonbridge AC team won the Men’s Six Stage road relay or that Swansea Harriers won the women’s 4x4 stage National road relay, particularly as in the latter Aldershot & Farnham did not bring out their international runners, that would have swamped the women’s event, as they have so many times before but, it was the fact that a new name, no one expected, would run a fantastic leg at the Park. His name Andy Maud who had only been back running in 2013, except for running round the Greater Manchester Run over 10k modestly in 34:11 in May 2006 and he had not been racing or training before that since 2001, when he was an under 20 runner for Charnwood AC.
Andy runs for Highgate Harriers in Championship races and Clapham Chasers in the league cross-countries in 2015.
At Sutton Park he ran a time of 17:03, the same time as Mo Farah did in 2006, (before being coached in America).
The main surprise was that Andy still lacks a lot of top-class or international experience. However he did obtain a Home Counties cross country vest and was 9th in the National of 2015 yet, he had nowhere near the high visibility of the men whose times were next in line on the score sheet amongst the fastest on the day 1 Andy Maud (Highgate Harriers) 17:03; 2 International track and cross country runner, Jonathan Davies (Reading AC) 17:14; 3 International track runner Thom Lancashire (Bolton Utd) 17:17; Andrew Buchart the top Scottish cross country runner and GB international (Central AC) 17:19; and Richard Weir, the English & Inter-Counties 5000m track Champion (Derby AC) 17:21.
In the race Andy Maud took Highgate Harriers from 18th to 1st on the second leg at Sutton Park. Highgate did fall back to ninth by the finish but did well, considering 4 of their top 5 runners were missing on the day; three of those were in the winning Southern team too! Andy Maud remarked “I went into the lead after 1½ miles. It was a nice place to be in the lead but everyone is then chasing you.
He added about those missing “I think we could have won to-day. It is a shame but we won the Southern which was a target.”
About his racing “I had an injury before the London marathon this year (2015) and went into the marathon and could not really run for two months after that”
So, it was good he managed to do two personal bests that are significant, as he had nothing recorded for them before. In 2014 he had run in the Highgate Harriers Night of PB’s in 30:37.68 at Parliament Hill Fields and in 2015 he came back from injury to run 14:24.08 in the Hercules Wimbledon 5k Festival.
About his running in October 2015 he said “It is coming back after a long absence.”
When did he consider he really started running and training again “2 and bit years ago. I was inspired watching some of the races in the London Olympics and thought I should get the benefit from it.”
Andy Maud continues “I ran at Loughborough Grammar School Till I was 17. I did other sports as well. I probably did not do myself justice as a school kid. I would play a football match the night before and a tennis match in the morning and then go and do a race. In those days I did run against a few people who are all the same age as I am. Tom Bedford, Chris Thompson and Mo Farah but, I stopped for 10 years.”
That must give him a hunger then with such a long lay off?
‘I love training at the moment as it is all quite new.’
His Work:-
“I used to be a Management Consultant, going all around Europe and so it did not leave much time for sport.’
‘Now I work from 9 to 6.’
‘I help Charities raise money and how to deliver their activities better. I enjoy my job but it is still stressful so, running is a good stress reliever‘
“I sometimes run home from the centre of London to Wimbledon, which is 10 miles and, I do that or a session when I get the train home.’
On a Tuesday night Highgate are a really good team to train with. There are always at least four of us, solid together.”