Crorken ready to take on Tokyo after shelving supermarket job

Tiarnan Crorken was stacking supermarket shelves just weeks ago – now he is ready to take on the world’s best 800m runners in Tokyo.

The mulleted middle-distance runner has enjoyed a sparkling season to force his way onto the Great Britain team for the World Athletics Championships.

It is vindication of the 26-year-old’s decision to give up his job working 12-hour shifts, starting at 4am, at Aldi to train full-time – a final throw of the dice to make it on the world stage.

“At the age I am, you have to pick whether you are going to start a career in something else or give it a go,” said Crorken, speaking at a Novuna-backed British camp – with the company financing the ambitions of millions across the UK, from helping business grow and individuals plan for the future, to backing British Athletics on the global stage.“I said to myself at the start of this year that either you make it now or you move on and do something else.

“That fire under me has helped a lot, and every race could be the last race at this level, so you might as well perform at your best.

“In my first race of the season, I nearly ran the world standard straight away, and I told myself these long hours working in Aldi aren’t productive for trying to be a world-class athlete.

“I ended up deciding to risk it: I quit my job and moved back home to my parents’ house for a few months. I was living off what money I had left and going to Leeds twice a week to train.”

Crorken hopes competing in Tokyo will let him leave the tills behind, as he continues to chase the dream of becoming a professional athlete.

For now, the honour of a Great Britain vest is more than enough reward for his hard work and dedication, but he is determined not to just make up the numbers in Tokyo.

The Burnley native already upset the odds when he stormed to second at the UK trials, and he is ready to do it again when he rubs shoulders with the world’s best.

“I am not just the one wearing the vest, I am doing it for all the people who have supported me over the years,” he added.

“I don’t want to get too overawed by the experience. I want to enjoy it, but I want to perform well, and I don’t want this to be my last championships.

“The goal is to get as far as I possibly can, but I understand the 800m is a crazily stacked event at the moment and it is going to take being a full-time athlete to get to that level. Hopefully qualifying for a World Champs will allow me to do that.

“I hope that this is the start of a few years at this level. The sport doesn’t last forever, so you have to take every opportunity you can get.”

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