John Travers: ‘I was numb. I didn’t want to race and I didn’t sleep’

In terms of sport, it’s been a great year for John Travers, who finished seventh in the 1500m final at the European Indoor Championships in March. Off the track, though, the 24-year-old has endured a torrid time, with his father, Stephen, passing away after a long illness just a day before travers finished eighth in the 1500m final at the World University Games in July. He spoke to the ’Irish Examiner’ ahead of tomorrow’s Inter Clubs Cross Country Championships in Santry...

Q. How hard has this year been for you?

A. “In terms of running I had my best year, but outside of that it was the worst year of my life. This time last year my Dad was diagnosed with a brain tumour, one that you couldn’t do anything with. He was told he had 24 months to live, but then a few weeks later they said it would be six months. He got a good bit out of radiation therapy, but once he did the chemo he shut down. In the summer, what was supposed to be six months [to live] turned into a matter of weeks.”

Q. Given those circumstances, how difficult was the decision to compete at the World University Games in South Korea?

A. “I didn’t make the decision. My Dad made it. We had the chat and I told him I didn’t want to go, but he told me he’d be very upset if I didn’t because he wanted the best for my running. He hadn’t a clue about running, but he was there for all my races. Even through his sickness, when he couldn’t get up and walk, he came to two of the races, as much as it took all his energy. That’s the kind of man he was. We knew before I went [his passing] was probably going to be fairly soon. My brother rang me on the Monday and told me he really wasn’t well. I ran the [qualifying] heat on the Wednesday and then he passed away on the Thursday.”

Q. The day after he passed away, you ran the final and finished eighth, which is almost incomprehensible given the circumstances. How did you manage to focus?

A. “People were trying to tell me to get the flight back, but I said I’m after coming over and he’s passed; what’s the point in not running when he wanted me to? I was numb. I didn’t want to race and I didn’t sleep. In the final, I would have liked to medal, but in the circumstances there was zero chance of that happening. I regret [going to the Championships], though. It’s probably the worst decision I’ve ever made in a way. I can go back and do a World Student games again, but I can’t go back and see my Dad.”

Q. Looking ahead to this Sunday’s race, what is your goal?

A. “To get to the Europeans [Travers will need to finish inside the top six to make the Irish team for next month’s European Cross Country Championships]. Whether I come first or sixth, that’s the main box ticked. You don’t go into a race not to win, so I’ll be doing the best I can. I won’t be getting involved at the start. I’ll be hanging back, watching, biding my time. It’s going to be one of the best trials we had in a long time. The ground is going to be cut up, but it’s the same for everyone. If you’re strong and fit, there’s no excuse. I’m ready.”

Q. How is Jerry Kiernan as a coach?

A. “He’s great. I’ve been with him for three years, and I won’t be going anywhere soon. A lot of people criticise him and say he’s very rough on TV, but if I run bad at a championship, he says the same to me as he does on RTÉ. It doesn’t bother me. It’s constructive criticism, but people take it the wrong way. He tells it as it is, and we need more of that. Jerry’s exact words during the year were, ‘I made a lot of mistakes when I was an athlete. You’re not going to make them.’ He realises a lot of stuff he did wasn’t ideal and he’s there at every session. A lot of his training is done by feel. You don’t time yourself, which is good because then you’re not comparing yourself each week, thinking: ‘Shit, I’m a minute slower this week’.”

Q. You don’t time any of your training?

A. “I wouldn’t be one for watches. I only recently started to wear one again. I’d go out for a 10-mile run and it doesn’t bother me what time it was in. I see it as a positive, because you see everyone monitoring their heart rates and lactates, going ‘I have to go at a certain pace’. Yes, it does you a certain amount of good, but it mightn’t necessarily be good. Jerry calls me the lazy runner. I just run slow on my recovery days and that’s a key to not being injured. I’ve never had a serious injury, and I don’t do all the other stuff. I don’t go to the gym or stretch.”

Q. For an athlete as fast as you, that’s quite rare.

A. “I know I go against things, but a lot of it is that I keep myself recovered. I tried the gym work for six months and I found no benefit. I found training was harder, so what’s the point in doing it if I can get better results from doing less and feeling better?”

Q. Looking ahead to 2016, is it all about that Olympic standard?

A. “I’m 24, so ideally you want to be making the Olympics, but the Europeans are also a great opportunity next year. If I get into that 5K, then I’m a fast finisher, which opens up a top-5, top-6 run. If I can get the Olympic standard, happy days, but if I get there, I won’t want to just go out in the heats.”

Q. What did you make of the recent doping scandals in athletics?

A. “Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon, but we all knew it. You look at the amount of Russians that have been caught over the last few years and the Turks, and it was obvious what was happening. It’s bad, but is it worse than we think? I don’t think so. We have to get on with it, just run and do the best we can. The best thing we can do is put the head down, run fast, and they won’t be at the championships so we’ve a better opportunity.”