A practitioner’s perspective: Working at the 2017 Athletics World Championships

Working at the Athletics World Championships from a practitioner’s perspective

What is it like to work as a practitioner at a World Championships event? British Athletics and EIS physiologist Kate Spilsbury tells us her experiences from this summer’s World Athletics Championships in London…

What an amazing experience the World Athletics Championships must have been to work at- can you give us an overview of the whole experience?

“Working for British Athletics at the IAAF World Championships in London was a fantastic experience! For me, it started three weeks beforehand at the altitude preparation camp in Font Romeu, which many of the endurance athletes attended. We use Font Romeu regularly for altitude training camps, so it was a familiar venue for the athletes to begin their final preparations. Typically, this would be where my championship journey ends, waving the athletes off to compete before travelling home to watch it on TV. However, as we had a home championship, I was given the opportunity to be part of the support team. I arrived in London on 1st August and felt an immediate buzz around the competition hotel, which we were sharing with Jamaica, the Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Czech Republic and Australia. There were a few days before the competition started to catch up with the athletes and coaches who had been at our sea-level preparation camp in Paris.

I was also reunited with the other members of our fantastic British Athletics science and medicine team, with whom I worked closely throughout the championships. Having worked with many of the athletes and coaches all year, it was really rewarding to continue supporting them right through the competition and to see how much the home crowds were getting behind them.”

As a physiologist, what is your main role during a competition?

“My main role at the championships was to co-ordinate event preparation and recovery strategies. The British Athletics science and medicine team works closely with the athletes and coaches before major championships to develop optimal strategies that are bespoke to an individual’s event and schedule. It was my job to make sure athletes could access the equipment and recovery modalities they needed, in order to prepare them best for their competition.“My secondary role was as a team manager for the marathon and race walking events. This involved attending a race briefing and communicating key information to the athletes, in addition to working at personal drinks stations out on the courses to ensure the athletes received their optimal race nutrition and hydration.”

Can you tell us what your daily routine entailed during the champs?

“Every day was slightly different! Typically if there were no morning sessions, I would support some of the endurance athletes at their training sessions after breakfast. After lunch, I would address the individual preparation and recovery strategies to ensure I had the appropriate equipment and logistics in place for the evening. I travelled to the stadium with the athletes for the evening competition and would be on hand to offer any final support beforehand. From the moment the athletes stepped off the track, I would guide them through their post-race recovery plan and work with the coaches and medical team to ensure this was carried out as efficiently as possible.”

What was your favourite moment of the championships?

“There were too many! It would have to be watching Mo Farah defend his 10,000m title in his second fastest ever time, but it was also really exciting to see some of our emerging talents coming so close to medals- Laura Muir in the1500m, Kyle Langford in the 800m and Callum Hawkins in the marathon- and of course the thrilling relays on the final two days!

Do you get much time off during a competition or is it go, go, go for ten days straight?

“There is no ‘time off’ as such during the championships, but there were quieter periods for some down time. For example, when there were no morning sessions.”

Do you have a preferred athletics event which you most enjoy working on?

“My expertise lies within endurance physiology, so I enjoy working most closely with the endurance athletes and coaches (from 800m to marathon and race walks). However, I am an athletics geek so I enjoy supporting all events!”

As a physiologist for British Athletics, how much collaboration is there with other practitioners in different disciplines?

“Working with British Athletics it’s very important to understand the demands of each event and what it takes to win, in order to be able to provide optimal support to athletes and coaches. Whilst the majority of my work is with endurance, I also work closely with other members of the science team at British Athletics including, Dr Michael Johnston (Senior Strength and Conditioning Scientist) and Dr Sophie Killer (Senior Performance Nutritionist), where our collective knowledge and expertise creates impact across the diverse nature of our sport.”