Dundas Man - Jody Bragger
Dundas London: Thanks for finding the time to chat while you’re briefly in sunny London. Tell us about your time recently spent in Cape Town and Barcelona.
Jody Bragger: I’m very grateful that my work takes me all over the world. I was in Cape Town to run Ultra Trail Cape Town which is an incredible trail race along the Cape Peninsula for a gruelling yet inspiring 100km. I am lucky enough to call Barcelona home. Whilst a native Londoner I moved here because of its proximity to the mountains, trails and ocean. It is the northern California of Europe - we have everything here!
DL: Other than your Ultra Trail in Cape Town, what else have you been up to this year?
JB: 2019 was a big year. I took part in one of the most prestigious trail races in the world, known as the CCC at UTMB. As well this, I filmed my first full length documentary about my journey running from Afghanistan to China, which will be released in spring 2020. I’m also planning to run my first 100 mile race in 2020!
Joel & JB sporting Dundas White and Dundas Green in Cape Town
DL: Sounds like you’re a real go-getter. What has been your toughest challenge so far?
JB: Organising the Mogadishu Marathon (the first marathon organised after the outbreak of civil war in the 90s) was by far my hardest challenge. It took a huge amount of emotional persistence on my part to get to the finish line as the race director and it challenged me in ways that I never felt possible.
DL: Sounds like what you do takes a lot of persistence and training. What is a vital element to training that might surprise people?
JB: For me it has to mean something... In all aspects of my life where I have pushed myself to my limit, whether it was serving in Afghanistan, running across a mountain range or organising races in a war zone, I have been able to put everything else on hold to achieve it because I really believe in what I am doing. I would find it very hard to motivate myself for any cause of purpose that didn't speak to me in a way that inspires me.
Midnight runners event starting at the Eiffel Tower in Paris
DL: Tell us about Midnight Runners, when did it all start and what's it all about?
JB: We actually started 5 years ago this week! The concept of MR is simple. We bring awesome people together under a shared passion for running. We are incredibly proud that our community is now in 11 cities around the world and continues to bridge gaps between people and places. We encourage anyone with a curiosity to get involved!
DL: Amazing, many thanks for chatting with us JB. Best of luck with your 100 mile race and we’re looking forward to seeing the documentary later this year.