By Nathan Maguire, Leep athlete partner
Over the last couple of months, I’ve been making the switch from track to road racing, with some great results along the way. I finished third at the London Big Half, fourth at the Paris 20K and, most pleasingly, won the Manchester Half Marathon.
Three races, three different experiences and plenty to reflect on. Because while the basic objective is the same – get to the finish line faster than everyone else – racing on the road is a very different challenge to racing on the track.
A different kind of race
On the track, you know what you’re getting. It’s flat, the bends are uniform and you can focus on your racing, your positioning and your competitors.
The road is a different beast altogether.
There are undulations, uneven surfaces, corners that vary in shape and, worst of all, potholes. When you’re travelling at around 35mph in a racing wheelchair, with little between you and a high-speed flip on tarmac, you become very aware of what’s happening around you. A small mistake can have significant consequences, so you need to balance speed and aggression with judgement.
That’s one of the interesting things about wheelchair racing. Experience counts for a lot. Older racers often have an advantage because they’ve seen more situations, know when to commit and are less likely to be put off by the risks. Younger competitors can sometimes be quicker to reach for the brakes at critical moments.
There’s a reason many wheelchair racers continue to perform at the highest level well into their forties. Because the sport isn’t weight-bearing in the same way as running, athletes can have long competitive careers. I’m 29, so there’s plenty of racing ahead of me, but I’m already learning that experience and decision-making can be just as important as physical ability.
Winning in Manchester: taking control
Manchester was a particularly satisfying result. Winning a half marathon is always special, but what pleased me most was the way I approached the race.
I’d analysed my main competitor and knew he often tried to break people down through repeated, attritional sprints. Rather than simply reacting to his tactics, I decided to do something different.
I sprinted hard from the gun.
The idea was to open up a gap early, put the pressure on and force the race to unfold on my terms. It worked. I established a lead that my competitors never managed to claw back and took the win.
It was a calculated decision based on understanding the competition, recognising what might be expected of me and being prepared to do something different.
Being local helped, too. I knew the Manchester course better than some of the other competitors, including where the road might catch you out. That knowledge matters when you’re travelling at speed and need to make decisions in a split second.
The lesson? You don’t always have to respond to what your competitors do. Sometimes, the best approach is to understand their strengths, identify an opportunity and make them respond to you.
The fine line between playing it safe and taking a risk
The London Big Half gave me a different lesson.
The course has several corners, which can make it difficult to judge the distances between you and the competitors ahead. You can lose sight of what’s happening further up the road, making it harder to know whether you’re racing for second, third or simply trying to hold your position.
I got onto the shoulder of the competitor in third place. I knew I could beat him in a sprint, so I stayed there for much of the race, keeping myself in a position to make a move when it mattered.
I finished third, which was a good result. But looking back, I think I could have been more ambitious.
Rather than staying in a relatively comfortable position, I should have pushed on around the next corner to find out what was possible. How far ahead was second? Was first place within reach? I’ll never know for certain, but I may have had a chance to move up another place on the podium.
I was confident I could beat the athlete alongside me, but perhaps I spent too much time focusing on the immediate competition rather than visualising the whole race.
It’s a useful reminder that sometimes you need to take a risk to discover what you’re capable of. You can’t always wait for an opportunity to present itself. Sometimes, you have to create it yourself.
Always learning, always improving
One of the things I enjoy about competing is that there’s always something to learn, regardless of the result.
Winning in Manchester didn’t mean I’d suddenly worked everything out. Finishing third in London wasn’t a failure because there might have been an opportunity to finish second. Every race gives me something to analyse: my tactics, my positioning, my decision-making and how I respond under pressure.
That process of reflection is a big part of improving. You look at what worked, what didn’t and what you might do differently next time. Then you take those lessons into the next race.
It’s a mindset that extends beyond sport, too. Preparation and hard work are essential, but so is being willing to challenge your own assumptions, adapt your approach and take responsibility for the opportunities in front of you.
The importance of recovery
For now, it’s time to take a breath, recover properly and start building the right programme for the next set of competitions.
There’s a temptation in elite sport to think that working harder is always the answer. Of course, training consistently, pushing yourself and putting in the hours are all vital. But improvement isn’t just about how hard you work. It’s also about how well you recover.
Rest, recuperation and spending quality time doing things that don’t involve potholes, broken ribs or complete exhaustion are just as important – if not more so – than another hard training session.
The challenge is finding the right balance: training hard enough to improve, recovering well enough to perform and making sure you’re ready when the next big opportunity comes along.
The recent results have given me plenty of confidence, but they’ve also shown me where I can get better. That’s what makes the next challenge exciting.
There’s more to learn, more opportunities to take and more races to win.
Onwards and upwards.
Read more about our Inside Track partnership with Nathan here: The Inside Track with Nathan Maguire – Leep Utilities – Network adoptions done right