In our RT Snap Q&A series, we’ve had the privilege of interviewing some of the world’s best runners, delving into their extraordinary journeys, celebrating their achievements, and exploring the unwavering dedication that defines their careers.
Tim Vincent
- Born: September 6, 1998
- Nationality: Australia
- 38th in the 76th Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon 2024 with a time of 1:02:01
- 18th in Daegu Marathon 2024 with a time of 2:16:50
- 2nd place in the Kobe Marathon 2023 with a time of 2:12:05
- 14th in the Gold Coast Marathon 2023 with a time of 2:17:17
- 3rd in Gold Coast Marathon ASICS Half Marathon 2022 with a time of 1:03:31
- 12th Adelaide Track Classic 2022 with a time of 13:49.62
- 1st Queensland 10000 2021 with a time of 28:59.75
RT: Can you tell us how your journey as a runner began? What sparked your interest in running?
Tim: I wanted to be a football player (round ball) growing up. I remember playing in the yard a few hours a day after school most days. My position was centre midfield which involved a lot of running as I wasn’t a very physical player. I started running through the school system competing in cross country and went to districts for a day off school (that makes me sound like a great student doesn’t it). I was lucky enough to place 5th in my district earning me a spot to compete at the Metropolitan North regional trials. I had a sprint finish for the last place on the regional team (5th and 6th) to go to the Queensland Championships. I loved the excitement and challenges I was discovering in running.
I ran my first state championship that year in Toowoomba as a 10-year-old in the 2km. From memory, I think I finished 30th of 40 students in the race and made some friends that I still have close to me today. I loved meeting new people and discovering this level of sport where I got flogged to not sugarcoat it.
From this point, I was inspired by what I’d experienced in Toowoomba and slowly ventured more and more into cross country every year and slowly trained more and more throughout my schooling years before pursuing only running at around the age of 17.
RT: What does a typical week of training look like for you? Could you walk us through your training schedule?
Tim: A typical week of training for me involves three workouts and a long run. I double-run on my session days and aim for two strength workouts a week (my least favorite) plus a pilates class which I’ve been doing for 7 – 8 years now. Every other day not mentioned above I’m easy jogging around an hour or so just on the same loop I have near me on the Kedron Brook. My weekly mileage tends to sit predominantly between 140 – 170 km per week depending on what time of year it is and what races are coming up etc.
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RT: What do you consider to be the highlight of your running career so far?
Tim: For me, this would probably be representing Australia at the World Road Running Championships last year. I try not to fan girl too much usually, but it was the clearest memory I have of sitting in the hotel restaurant and looking around at some of the athletes in the room and being in awe of their accomplishments. An awesome experience that I won’t forget and look to build off in the coming years.
RT: Have you experienced any setbacks or injuries that significantly impacted your training or performance? How did you handle those situations?
Tim: I have indeed but thankfully not too many. My coping mechanism in these situations is to try surround myself in a positive environment but find joy in things that I usually can’t do as much while training (if injured). A lot of the time this will be going to coffee with friends that I haven’t seen in a long time or kicking a football lightly (body permitting of course). I tend to go back to watching football with the extra time on my hands and find some joy in that. I think it’s important to change things up in those times as it helps my reflective and learning process. This usually leads to me returning more motivated after I have the time off and don’t rush my way back into things.
RT: Looking ahead, what are your short-term and long-term goals in running?
Tim: Short term goal: “Nail” a marathon. This may take many attempts and might actually be a long-term goal to be honest. From my current experiences I’ve not had one yet that’s gone completely to plan so it’s something that I’m working on. On race day this might look like, no missed bottles or stitches and a relatively even pace from start to finish with not much of a drop towards the end.
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Long-term goal: I want to walk away from the performance side of running one day with a smile on my face knowing I got the best out of myself and had fun in the process. In an ideal world I’d love to empty my large bucket list of races to tick off, hopefully get to a few major marathons and fingers crossed a few more personal bests along the way. I understand I won’t be able to do this forever so I try and appreciate what I do and make the most of it.
RT: For aspiring runners who look up to you, what advice would you give them as they pursue their own running goals?
My biggest piece of advice to runners pursuing their goals would be to have fun. Sounds very silly I know. It’s a rather monotonous sport and very easy to get caught up in numbers and not actually enjoy your successes along the way. I’ve started to appreciate the small wins in my journey a bit more whether it be a good race or a decent workout. Try and avoid holding yourself to unsustainable standards and never actually enjoying running to its full extent. We’re all busy with life, work, uni, family, etc. it’s okay to miss that run every now and then. Meet people, run new races, and keep the stimulus different. Thanks for taking the time to listen to a little bit about myself.
Happy running!
-Tim
