016: Barry Fudge on Heading up endurance

Dr Barry Fudge is Head of Endurance at British athletics and lead scientist for many outstanding endurance athletes like Sir Mo Farah. Barry has a PhD in exercise physiology which uniquely he undertook the majority of which in East Africa working with the richly talented Kenyan and Ethiopian teams, which at the time included Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele. Barry was actually my postdoctoral researcher back in 2007 and despite this is has gone on to achieve incredible amount. First as a physiologist as the key architect Mo Farah’s transformation from an also-ran to a world beater. Then being promoted to Head of Endurance with the much wider remit creating the conditions to nurture success in British Athletics. Barry spoke at our 2017 conference which you can also catch up on the podcast, and in this discussion expands on some are many challenges works through, how he works with athletes and coaches on a day-to-day basis and in the arena of the track and field stadium and he explores his purpose and shares with us why he does what he does. 

 

Show notes

Barry’s role and background

The different components that come to together to facilitate elite sport

How did Barry get into sport?

PhD in endurance running in Kenya

Ethiopian athletes and impacting on performance for the first time

Doing science differently

Being comfortable with uncertainty & observing over time

Understanding the UK system, how to systematically support athletes and coaches

Mo Farah, focus and clarity of purpose

The relationship between science and performance, to execute when it matters most and how you then approach competition in the long term.

Focussing on what matters, the complexity of a big event and managing the environment around the athletes

Forgetting what sport is actually about…the drama!

Providing calm, focus and clarity

The vulnerability of athletes

It’s ok to win and to lose, will the athlete be happy or upset? Being mechanical or inhuman

Enjoying the journey of sport for what it is, there will always be ups and downs

Key lessons: purpose, passion, enjoying it and being comfortable with where you are

‘Own the start line’ – looking ahead to what you want to achieve, what would you have to have done in order to be fully prepared and then work your way back

 

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