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.
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