Katie Barden talks to an attorney who also has a lot of experience when it comes to guiding endurance runners
Andy Hobdell is a senior solicitor specializing in criminal law.In addition to his “day” job, where he handles a wide range of Magistrates’ Court and Crown Court cases, he is also a highly regarded endurance coach and has coached athletes to four Olympic Games.
Recently recruited by Hoka and working with the Hoka-backed Team Makou, a professional group that includes Callum Elson, Rory Leonard, Scott Beattie, Alice Cross, Ephraim Giday and Sarah Astin; Hobdell continues to coach Hoka-sponsored athletes Tom Anderson and Simon Bédar, as well as a host of other runners ranging from first-timers to club athletes on the verge of making international teams.
How did you get into coaching?
It was pure luck. I never decided to be a coach. I loved running and grew up in several eras of the greats of our sport.In my late 20s/early 30s, as I was nearing the end of my own running career, a 13-year-old (Mark Draper) showed up in one of my running groups. We went for a five mile run and when I tried to pick up the pace, he was still there. We were walking six minutes a mile and he was just talking. To make a long story short, he kept showing up and a few weeks later asked if I could help him train for his county school championships. I wasn’t his coach, I was just helping him, but after he won that race, he came up to me, and I will never forget it, and said: “Thanks Coach” and that’s where it started.
Andy Hobdell (Charlie McCarthy)
Has your coaching philosophy changed over the years?
It has changed massively. As a young coach, I really felt sorry for Drapes (Mark Draper), Katrina (Katrina Wootton) and Baders (Andy Buddle) because I learned through them. We made some mistakes in the early days, but we learned together.
I remember we went to his first indoor European championship in Madrid and he got knocked out in the first round. We were working hard in training and he was ready. I went to the hot track and Mark Rowland just looked at me and said, “Good coach?” He said. “This is where you earn your stripes, this is where you go in and sort things out, and you come back and you’re better.” Those are true words, and that’s what coaching is all about, it’s working together.
The guys I’m taking care of now benefit from the 28 years I’ve been coaching. I’m more experienced and know when to push, when to hold back, and when enough is enough , what works; we’ll work hard when we have to work hard, but if it’s time to hold back, I’ll hold them back.
Andy Baddeley in London 2012 (Mark Shearman)
You joined Hoka as a coach last year, how did that come about and why is Team Maku such a good fit for you?
I got a call from Hoka about 18 months ago and asked if I would like to work with them as a coach. I was already training Tom Anderson and as things progressed I started working with Rory, Scott and Ellis.
Calum Elson joined us in January at the camp in South Africa. he signed with Hoka, but I wasn’t training him at the time, then very soon I started training Ephraim Gidey, so we worked those five guys and trained hard together.
The boys, with Hoka’s support, then started Team Maku. It was very organic and I was very lucky from my point of view. I only work with people who are dedicated, have the right mindset, have the right chemistry and are willing to invest in my coaching philosophy, and this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to work as a coach with such a talented team of athletes.
I want to create an environment where the athletes are 100 percent focused on their training and want to train hard, but when the session is over, they can enjoy the post-workout buzz and have some much-needed banter. What better way to end a 110-mile week there’s nothing like running around with your mates, doing the same job and having a laugh along the way. There aren’t many places in the UK or even the world where you can get six or seven guys working together are all running between 13:30 and 5km, or under 28 minutes for 10km. That’s pretty special, isn’t it?
Andy Hobdell (Charlie McCarthy)
What are the challenges of working with different personalities on a team?
Experience helps, and that I’m invested in. You can learn about athletes individually, what makes them tick, what excites them, and what they need from training through emotional support, but that’s the exciting part that I I think as a coach, it’s not just about writing and saying a training schedule. “Just keep going” but seeing how each athlete responds to the stimulus of training and pushing them forward.
After all, they’re human, just like everyone else. They’re so dedicated and focused on what they do that it upsets them if they don’t perform to the level they want or expect. But it’s like anything, you don’t you give a little space, sometimes you can just hug them and you get them, making them put one foot in front of the other and put them back on their feet again.I’ve always believed that when you start performing that they lift you up and suddenly you’re more positive about everything.
Liverpool Cross Challenge Men’s Leaders (Gary Mitchell)
Do you find it difficult to manage expectations when there is so much potential in the group?
I think athletes all realize that there will be ups and downs along the way. They know the process and what we focus on, but if we are committed and continue to work hard, the high standards we set are within reach.
They all improve and we keep it simple, they work together and get the rewards. They all give and take from each other. It’s a process, and most valuable one of the lessons I’ve learned in coaching is not to rush the process.
What the boys and Sarah are doing now is necessary in our sport. It shows that hard work and working together gets things done. It shows other runners that it can be fun and exciting, too not completely dependent on the funding of the federation because it is very much supported and guided by Hoka. It is not an easy thing to do, but we are building something very special and I think if we can continue as we have let’s do the work, then who knows what might happen?
Also, the standards given to athletes today are unbelievable. 27 minutes for 10km is absolutely uncomfortable. You have to have the right support from your coach, your teammates, and your brand you can get and that’s what we’re all about.
What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in athletics since you first got involved?
When we first started this sport, social media wasn’t a big thing. The standards that athletes have to reach now are tougher, but the pressure that social media puts on them is off the scale.
It’s also a distraction, and I’ve experienced it with an athlete or two over the years when they come to training and say, “Why aren’t we doing this or that?” This can be very difficult for an athlete who is not 100 percent committed to a coach and who is distracted by other training ideas and philosophies they hear about or see on social media.
I make it clear pretty early on that I’m just as invested as the next person in helping someone in their running career, but if I’m invested, they should be equally invested to the best of their ability what’s asked of them so we can work together to help them become better runners. It’s as simple as that. I’ve always felt like I’m old school with a forward-thinking philosophy, so I’ll look everything else that happens and I’ll decide what we’re going to use and what we’re not going to use.
What keeps you going?
When I first started coaching it was with Drapes, then Katrina, and then Badders. They were all lovely people to work with. As coaches, we don’t get rich from the sport, we get rich from the memories from what our athletes do. We get rich from them enjoying the sport and that’s everything to me. I can’t think of anything better than working with an athlete and getting them to the stage where they’re going to perform and something. do more than they ever thought possible. It just puts a smile on my face. “I told you you could do it.” It’s about believing in the athlete’s abilities and showing them that they can do more than they think they can. It’s a very simple thing, but very special.
» This article first appeared in the December issue of AW magazine. Subscribe to AW Magazine herecheck out our new podcast! here or subscribe to our digital archive of back issues from 1945 to the present day here
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