In Dan and Jess Martin’s blood runs competitiveness
Dan, an ex-professional and highly successful cyclist, and Jess Martin have never aimed for anything less than the highest level. Now, perhaps also because of Dan’s retirement from professional cycling, it is Jess who is chasing the ultimate goal: qualifying for the Olympic Games in running. In the meantime, Dan looks after their three children, while casually running a 10-kilometre race in under 30 minutes.
It was in the Sierra Nevada, in 2014, that Dan and Jess Martin first met. Both were on an altitude camp, albeit with different goals. Dan was preparing for the Belgian Classics and the Giro d’Italia, while Jess was working on improving her running fitness. They happened to be stay-ing in the same hotel.
Jess did not know about Dan, nor his career, but was struck by the coin-cidence of sharing accommodation with one of the country’s top cyclists and asked Dan for a photo. From there, the two stayed in touch and built a strong partnership based on mutual support and shared commitment.
Perfectly balanced
And now, twenty years later, the world looks very different in some ways — and not at all in others. Dan has retired after a successful professional cycling career, that includes monumental victories, and three children now demand love and attention all day long. Life has changed, dramatically.
And yet, in another sense, very little has changed. Both still practise sport in an extremely serious way, aiming to perform at the highest possible level.
This is especially true for Jess, for whom the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 are the big dream. Dan, meanwhile, explains that “running was and continues to be a tool for getting fit again”.
Pursuing such goals under these circumstances is far from easy. Jess admits she never expected to compete at the highest level again after giving birth to twins. Still, Dan’s experience as a high-performance athlete, and his support today, make everything feel, as she puts it, “perfectly balanced”.
“Dan has been at the very highest level of professional cycling for many years and has so much knowledge about performance, injury prevention and pushing the body to its limits. I still learn from him every day.”
She smiles when admitting that most breakfasts and dinners at the kitchen table in their beautiful house in Andorra, complete with a home gym and treadmill, revolve around racing, training and performance.
Sacrifices
Jess’ journey comes with sacrifices. Seeing friends and family far less often is one of them. Where she once mainly supported her partner, the roles have now shifted, although in a more balanced way, because running is far less travel- and time-demanding than professional cycling.
“It turns out it’s a lot easier to be the athlete than the support,” Dan laughs. “I now realise how many sacrifices Jess made when I was racing, but at the same time I also feel the excitement she used to feel.”
He reflects on the lifestyle of a professional cyclist.
“I was travelling a lot, and when I was home, I wasn’t really present. I was still training 30 to 35 hours a week, while focusing on recovery during the remaining hours. Athletes are, and have to be, very selfish. There was little time for being a father.”
And that, he adds, was during a period when the sport was far less scientifically advanced than it is today. “Nowadays there’s much more balance,” Jess says. “And we’re putting Dan’s sports-science knowledge and know-how directly into my career.”
She pauses. “I never used to track my training — distance, pace or nutrition. Now I train precisely, twice a day, but always with the focus on the kids. I truly believe that giving birth three times isn’t the limiting factor. The scientific approach is.
When the two British, English-speaking athletes, who previously lived in Girona before moving to Andorra, go out to train, they often bring the whole family along.
“Dan pushes the pram with Heidi, while the twins play around the athletics track here in Andorra,” Jess explains. “Sometimes people stop to ask for a photo with Dan because of his background.”
She laughs. “Then the kids ask why everyone wants a photo with him. They don’t know any different. For them, I’m the athlete in the family.”
In that way, sport connects all of them.
An Olympic journey
So what lies ahead?
Jess thinks long term, with Los Angeles 2028 firmly fixed as the ultimate goal. Dan, on the other hand, enjoys following her training plan and testing himself from time to time, especially when he can run without pushing a pram, as he did during his sub-30-minute 10 kilometres in Barcelona.
“I do have to listen to my ankles, though,” Dan admits. “Transitioning into running is a long process. I’ve learned that.”
Olympics
Jess’ journey towards the Olympic 10 kilometres is a long but exciting one. It all started with the Barcelona Half Marathon (1:10:48), hopefully followed by the Commonwealth Games. “This year is a developmental or building year”, she says, “with next year translating that into higher-level results.”
“My coach, Josep Carballude, says it will take me two years to reach my peak,” Jess says. “The level of care, effort, and professionalism he brings to his coaching is outstanding. He is confident that next year I will be running at a very high level.”
“Our approach has been intentionally careful and gradual, not only because I am returning after several years away from the sport, but also because I have had our three children during that time, which is a significant change to the body.”
“Yes, the Olympics are very ambitious, but I’m an all-or-nothing type.”
She doesn’t hesitate.
“I’m sure I can make it. I’m stronger, physically and mentally, than ever before. I’m enjoying the process more than ever. And with Dan around, I can do it. We operate very much as a team, and it is this teamwork that makes pursuing this goal and dream possible. However, being a mother is and always will be my number one priority.”
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