Meet the Westie – John Hamer

* What do you call the thing you change the TV channels with?

During my early life it was called a pair of pliers. These days it’s called an iPhone.

* Where did you grow up?

New Zealand.

* Have you always been a runner?

Nope. Started in my 40s.

* Why did you join the best small to medium sized hill running club in Glasgow?

It’s where all the cool kids were hanging out.

* Why have you stayed?

The club has become a lifestyle. The best people, the best routes, the
best fun.

* How has joining Westies affected your running/health/happiness?

Made me happier, healthier and runnier.

* What’s your favourite Westie memory?

There are so many! The mid-camp ceilidhs at the Highlander Mountain
Marathon were pretty special. Standing on Earl’s Seat watching the
Northern Lights. Any number of wind-swept, rain drenched, pitch dark
mid-winter Wednesday club runs.

* Bumbag or backpack?

Bumbag mostly. Backpack for trail ultras.

* What is your favourite race?

The Two Breweries Hill Race.

* Which race/challenge is top of your to-do list?

West Highland Way ultra.

* Which other sports do you play or have you played?

Used to play a bit of squash and badminton.

* Can you do the splits?

No chance!

* Have you ever ridden a motorbike?

Pillion only.

* What’s the daftest way you’ve ever been injured?

Opening a jar of pickles with a vice.

*Forest or beach?

Beach.

* If you could rule the world for a day, which one thing would you ban?

The Archers.

* What is your favourite ice-cream flavour?

Pistachio.

* You’ve just finished a category AL race. Which junk food do you treat yourself to?

Fish & chips.

* What is your favourite snack to stash in your bumbag/backpack?

I have fond memories of a can of G&T that managed to find its way into
a Highland Fling dropbag.

* Who is your BWFF (Best Westie Friend Forever)?

Paula.

* A friend is visiting from overseas. Which one place do you take them?

Usually end up doing the Falkirk Wheel and then the Kelpies.

* Do you have any nicknames?

No.

* Any tattoos?

No.

* Which shop would you max out your credit card in?

The Wool Company outlet store outside Taihape.

* If you could be any kind of pie, what kind of pie would you be?

Pecan.

* What book are you reading at the moment?

The Scottish Clearances, a History of the Dispossessed (T.M. Devine).

* What is the farthest-away place you’ve been?

Hidden Valley, between French and Dhamphus passes, Dhaulagiri.

* Would you rather have a live-in massage therapist or a live-in chef?

Massage therapist.

* One thing you know now that you wish you had known as a kid?

Being good at something is not inate. If you train, you can actually
get better.

* If you could for a run out to earl’s seat with one person, famous or otherwise, who would it be?

My daughter’s daughter.