Breezing through the first half in 14:35 – a 5000m PB at the time – he was soon stepping into the unknown territory of twenty-five laps of the track. It was at last year’s race that he made his sensational 10,000m debut. Bryce competing for Australia at the World Mountain Running ChampionshipsĪfter establishing Bryce’s background my line of questioning soon took on a more Zatopek feel. I honestly don’t think any other race can replicate that kind of pain.” A run in the World Cross Country soon followed, cementing himself in the upper echelon of domestic distance running. I don’t think I’ve been in so much pain since. Animatedly he recounts the experience, “It has really helped me for what I am doing now. For three consecutive years, he ran in the junior race of the World Mountain Running Championships, eliciting a best performance of 33 rd in 2015. I quickly began to get better and better.” Now 17 and taking the sport more seriously he set himself the goal of donning the green and gold.Ĭontrary to what many may consider the ‘traditional’ pathway for promising junior runners, Bryce debuted for Australia by submitting himself to an event that he believes is the “hardest you can do”. ![]() The group has a great atmosphere and everyone has their different strengths. I watched how hard he trains and it showed me that it was possible for me to be like him one day.”Īs Bryce improved, he took the plunge and joined forces with one of Australia’s most high-profile training groups – under the direction of sports-scientist and distance running guru Dick Telford. I would just listen and watch how they trained. I was running with some of the best runners in Australia. “In the early days I would just try run with them. At the age of 15, he began a two-year training apprenticeship – running with Philo Saunders, a young Brett Robinson and his idol, Olympian Martin Dent. We had a fair bit of land and I just used to run around the fence line before I went to school.” This self-imposed morning ritual ignited his passion for the sport. He would wake up early, slip on his shoes and head out into the frosty Canberra air. Certainly, I’m in the best form of my life.” With Zatopek looming, this statement should excite the distance running community.Ī post shared by Bryce Anderson on at 1:06am PDTĪ young Bryce Anderson began running in the mornings before school. In the last six weeks, I’ve been able to hit another level. His ability to recognise it even more so. At 21 years of age, his potential is exciting. As we begin to chat, he speaks softly, but with a tone exuding only confidence. ![]() His tall and slender body – strong but awkwardly slanted – faces me. The Zatopek 10,000m is only two weeks away. His words – “when it gets hard you have to realise that you have to keep pushing” – spells out the persistent philosophy of one of Australian distance running’s rising stars.Īs I sit down with Bryce Anderson in a lodge overlooking the Perisher Valley, I sense a feeling of nervous expectation. Years of toil and grit – thousands of kilometres – has given him the ability to suppress the urge of stopping, and in its place the power to endure. This young runner does not fear suffering, does not hear his body screaming at him to halt his procession of pain. His arms pump frantically, his face grimaces under the strain, but there is no relenting. At nearly 2000m above sea level, his lungs gasp for air. Through the lashing rain, his hardened legs skip through the puddles, powering forward into the mist. In the mountains, a lone runner pounds the dirt. ![]() ”I know I’m not the most talented runner in the world. ![]() Bryce Anderson – A glimpse of the future – Feature by Jaryd Clifford – Runner’s Tribe
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