April 04, 2022
Fraser Sproul is the schoolboy cross-country runner tipped for the Olympics. We found out how Nourish Drinks are helping to fuel his dreams
Jane Clarke is no stranger to supporting international sportspeople in their nutrition goals – she was David Beckham’s personal nutritionist during his World Cup and was the nutrition consultant for his football academy. So when 18-year-old cross-country runner Fraser Sproul got in touch, asking her to help him prepare for a record-breaking race attempt, she was ready to get his diet out of the starting blocks. He told us how Nourish Drinks helped him to a great result…
I’ve been racing competitively since I was 10, after watching my sister run. I’ve never been much of a sprinter, I’ve mostly focussed on distance, with the races getting longer as I’ve grown older. Living here in Cumbria, I have the hills to train in. That set me up for my biggest achievement so far, breaking the record for the Wilson Run.
The Wilson Run is renowned as the oldest and toughest school run in Britain. It was founded in 1881 at Sedbergh School, where I’m in Year 13, and named after the headmaster at the time. It’s a 10-mile race across the Howgill Fells. There’s an archive of every entrant whose raced in the event, and the record has only been broken six times in its entire 141-year history. I placed first in the race in 2021 but this year my goal was to break the record.
Nourish Drinks made a massive difference to my preparation for the race. I drink them after my training sessions to help replenish my energy and to provide the carbs and protein I need to recover quickly. I also really like that they have so many vitamins and minerals as I know they’re helping my body. They’re so tasty and easy to drink, so it’s no problem to get them down after I’ve been running or to the gym. I have them within 30 minutes of any workout so they can replace all the fuel I’ve lost.
I was having digestive issues during my racing, and Jane has also really helped with that. I had been passing blood through my bowels after running, but Jane advised me on vitamins and supplements and foods to have, and that’s been unreal – I haven’t had any problems since. She’s also been helping me to get the balance of protein I need to build muscle, and carbs so I have enough energy for my training, and it’s helped massively.
Knowing that Nourish Drinks give me all I need gives me confidence when I run. Psychologically, it helps to know that I’m doing everything I can to help my body, and then I feel the effects physically, too. They both work together. I used to feel so tired and needed to nap a lot after my runs, but I don’t feel that now. With Nourish Drinks I have so much more energy.
Smashing the record was really emotional. The race means so much to the school, so loads of the old pupils come back to watch the race and there’s a big concert afterwards. Living locally, I’ve always watched it, too – I was there in 2016, when John Campbell won and set the last course record. He was among the spectators watching me run this time, so there was a lot of pressure. I took 57 seconds off the record, and completed the race in 1 hour 7 minutes. It hasn’t really sunk in yet; it was easily one of the best days of my life. So, massive thanks to Jane and Nourish Drinks! They really helped.
To boost your workout and sports performance, buy Nourish Drinks today
