HOW MY DAD (AND CHOCOLATE) TAUGHT ME TO RUN

Running has been a part of my life ever since I can remember. I grew up with it in our family; I embraced it as a young person, and as I developed into teenagerhood and beyond, I became a runner myself.

- MIKI RIJKMANS

I have my Dad to thank.

My father has always been a runner. There was never a time that I can remember when he wasn't running. Our whole family would wake up early to cheer him on at races.

I would be part of it, as a helper, and I adored being a race marshal - even if it was just as an assistant. Getting to hold a flag, wear a bib and cheer the runners on planted the seed for my own love of the sport.

I started young. When I was a baby, my Dad took me on club runs with the Dubai Creek Striders - in a pram! When I got older, I would ride my bike next to the runners.

I remember a club run we did in Dubai which involved having to take an abra (a traditional boat, widely used for transport in the UAE) across a creek. I have vivid memories of having to get my bike manoeuvred on and off the abra, which made the whole experience of the run like an obstacle race for me.