After returning to Liverpool, Verity Ockenden writes why she is still learning from one of her first role models, Emelia Gorecka.
There’s no escaping it at Sefton Park, the beating heart of British running will embrace you. Whether it’s the thundering pack or the sticky mud that chews you up and spits you out, you’ll end up rosy-cheeked and covered head-to-toe in dirt, broken or triumphant, and there’ll always be someone waiting to hug you anyway.
It’s a rite of passage for most UK-bred middle and long-distance runners, and as I walked through the club tents again this year, I saw myself in the little faces of all the young ladies, perhaps for the first time here, with a mixture of tears and smiles streaming across the finish line. It’s 16 years since I first took part in the English Schools Cross Country Championships at this course in Liverpool, which gives us a kind of ritualistic nostalgia and a healthy reminder of my roots.
The club’s colors are tribal and there is a level of heroism in each athlete who pits himself against the elements of the day, bending over in the burn as powdered turf presses against their gaffa tape laces. The jostles of younger athletes christen the course beautifully from the seasoned seniors, and I remember who guided me when I was one of them.
One such heroine was Emelia Gorecka, ever present in the red, green and white of Aldershot, Farnham & District, slicing through the mud like it was butter, leagues ahead of the likes of me. Even as I started to climb the rankings to the top 50, then the top 20, and even 11th in 2017 when Emelia won the senior women’s race, I never thought I would have the chance to follow in her footsteps over 200 meters, let alone in a non-professional career, but she set an example as such.
When I came back from the NCAAs, somewhat growing my boots but still operating in a rather crude naivety, I made my first British team at the Greater Edinburgh Cross Country in 2018. I was surprised to see that Emelia was going to be my roommate as one of the favorites to win in a heated battle against Team Europe and Team USA.
Emelia was organized and business-like, inspiring a confidence I could only dream of (by contrast, I was a complete mess, smashing my car into a fence the day before I was supposed to travel), but she was also kind and humorous, giving me some of her energy to absorb, and her self-affirming jokes helped me relax.
When race day came, I was proud to know that my team points would count alongside his, and it motivated me to make every position count. I remember him disappearing into the distance like an arrow in pursuit of Turkey’s Yasemin Can, and hearing the crowds and the tanno commentator lose their minds as he closed so quickly, so nearly took victory, that I had 35 seconds earlier taken up the same icy slopes at Holyrood.
I never imagined then that this year I would be back in Liverpool with Emelia, continuing to inspire young athletes working for On, the brand that has sponsored me for the last four years, and that she would be cheering me on like crazy alongside my trainer Chris, who has also written extensively about his training.
They had just returned from a 10-day youth camp in St. Moritz, a project Emelia had been organizing for three years. It aims to give aspiring 15-18 year olds a look at what life as a professional athlete is really like, with coaching from people like Chris and all sorts of educational workshops on altitude training, nutrition, sports psychology, menstrual health, anti-doping and media training.
These are all things I wish I had learned about earlier in my career and it’s amazing to see Emelia now imparting such invaluable knowledge that you only learn through experience to the current generation of young talent. They may not have followed in his footsteps as literally as I have over the years, but they are very fortunate that he is now paving the way for them in a new way with such dedication.
When I asked Emelia what advice she would give to a young athlete considering a career in running (and honestly, it doesn’t hurt to hear that even now at 34), she said,
“Listen to your body. pay attention to the little warning signs and what he is telling you. Most importantly, don’t measure your worth by results alone. the journey, the training, the friends and the lessons learned along the way are just as valuable as the results. The memories, experiences and connections you make will stay with you after your career, and those are what matter the most.”
That’s great advice no matter how long you’ve been in the sport, and I was reminded of it all over the past week, going back to where it all started. I realize that one day it too will end, and while I hope to continue for a long time, I know that getting out of being a professional athlete can be just as difficult as getting into it.
But once again, I appreciate Emelia’s example. She went from athlete extraordinaire to ex-athlete extraordinaire and so much more, navigating that journey with an abundance of grace, energy, generosity, and a secure sense of identity that isn’t tied to running. A big part of his ability to do this lies in the advice he gives, which isn’t just skin-deep guidance that leads to short-term success, but what will stand you in good stead after your feet run.
