Together Series - Jon Fearne

Jon Fearne • December 13, 2020

It started. At midday on the 17th March in France, we entered lockdown.


We were allowed 1 hour of exercise per day within a 1km radius of our home and were not allowed to exceed 100m of vertical gain (dictated by the regional government in our area of the Alps). We also had to fill out a paper “attestation” (online versions did eventually follow) every time we left home containing personal information and reasons for leaving the house which were regularly checked by police patrols.


Whilst we were coming to the end of a poor snow season here in Chamonix, there were definitely still more things to tick off my winter goals list. Clearly not anymore- the season had been cut short in more ways than one.  


The day before lockdown commenced, I grabbed my mountain bike, loaded up my ski touring kit along with my great friend James Cadge and we headed to the snow line. Leaving our bikes behind and putting on skis, we hit our final summit of the season before taking our last ski back down to our bikes and peddling home, dragging our heels in what was left of the slushy white stuff.

March 16th (day before lockdown) heading to the snow line.

My job for over 20 years now has been coaching and training endurance and adventure athletes to achieve their goals and dreams- from Ironman to solo unsupported South Pole skiers, world mountain bike champions to recovering brain tumour ultra-runners.

Whilst their aim and purpose varies, there is one thing these people all have in common- they are all so driven and focused. Little did they realise that 2020 was about to test them in a very different way, by removing their end goals and focus! No races, restricted travel, boarders closed and jobs being lost.


I have over 60 athletes on my books, 60 plus driven individuals who had lost their goals. These athletes are spread all over the globe and so had very different reactions and controls relating to Covid.


I have always seen my job as supporting people holistically. It’s not just about a race or a mountain summit, it’s about helping people become the best they can at their chosen sports and helping them as people as well as athletes. Doing this results in a close relationship developing as a coach and friend, enabling me to see the bigger picture- looking at life pressures and problems not just the sport specific elements. 

Much of my focus, and if you like my control of getting through the first lockdown, was keeping my athletes, friends and family on top of their physical and mental health.

What a great way of not even having to think about my own mental health! I was so focused on others that I just didn’t have the time to think about myself. My mind was full of the goals of my athletes and how I could ensure they could still progress towards their aims.

I had an athlete heading out to do a solo Biakal Lake traverse, another aiming for Elite XC MTB licence, another looking to gain their 4th World 24hr MTB title, an amazing over 70 year-old Ultra runner who was looking to go a little faster and a brain tumour survivor working towards Ultra distance running.


With this diversity in just a small number of my athletes, you can imagine how I kept so busy looking after 60 of them! The variation and the need to educate myself to become a better coach is one of my favourite parts of my job. It pushes me to ensure I am creating the best training plan for every single one of them. Every individual has personal and specific goals and training methods, with very different lifestyles that it all has to fit around! My time was full finding ways to keep everyone on point, progressing and keeping minds in a good place.


The hardest element for both myself and my athletes was the lack timeline. No one knew how long this was going to last or when it would get better. There would be a promise of an event or race, only for it to be cancelled at the last minute, often leaving people frustrated and questioning why they were still bothering with training. 

I created the above model along with an article to help athletes see the relationship between training and the current hard times

I am sure that for many reading this, you will have had similar thoughts. But I am sure there are some who will be thinking, get over it, it’s just a race, just another challenge. For many of my athletes, these events are so much more- it can be a way to cope with stress at work or home, sometimes it’s in a person’s DNA to just push limits, others can have a medical condition. For some it’s a profession as well as a passion and if we take these away from people, life can unravel quickly.


I know this from a personal perspective. At the age of 9 I was diagnosed with ADHD (back then it was named hyperactivity). I was very fortunate to have two amazing head teachers (husband and wife) who did not see my energy as bad and instead threw me into every sport possible to balance my behaviour and coping mechanisms. I used this energy to compete as a junior international in athletics, then progressed into surfing, kayaking, 12 years of martial arts, racing endurance events all around the world and same for physical adventures. Without sports and exercise, I would never have made it beyond being seen as a badly behaved kid and their efforts were quite literally lifesaving. This coping mechanism works to this day, although I get more tired now which brings its own frustrations.


I pushed myself to the maximum for the first 2 months of lockdown. I trained outdoors within the previously mentioned limitations, did strength work and turbo training. In many ways the lockdown made my training easier, I no longer had to make big decisions on my training (think kid in a sweet shop scenario, living in Chamonix) I just did what I could. 


After 2 whole months, lockdown eased just as summer began. Whilst there were still rules in place, these looked a little different and certainly offered some freedom. By sheer luck of a great introduction, my worry about my previously set summer goals was solved. Alex Buisse, a French adventure photographer (and a pretty great one at that) gave me the opportunity to exchange skills through Alpine routes and rock climbing missions. This relationship generally involved me supporting to improve his fitness levels and him scaring me to death in the most imaginative way he could come up with (I think he liked to call it pushing my comfort zone…!) 

On Mont Blanc, summer 2020, photo credit @alexbuisse

Another positive outcome from this strange year was getting to know the neighbours in our apartment block. Julien Mariuel is an amazing young French Ultra runner who I have the pleasure of now calling my friend. Now I have run a few ultras, mountain ultras, even run across the alps, but boy did I learn very quickly once out of lockdown that French Ultra runners are quite literally another breed! Julien even creates runs which involve unnecessary descents purely to increase the ascent at the other end! My mind still boggles at the concept of running down your home valley, just to turn and run back up it (past your own front door may I add).


Whilst the year has quite clearly had some considerable negatives (I won’t even start listing those) I have been fortunate enough to meet and spend time with some pretty amazing people and I hope that never changes. With the hardship of summer goals disappearing for me personally, I was able to focus on pushing myself technically and physically in our home valley.


For most of my athletes, summer did not bring the relief expected. Events were still not happening and keeping people positive was often more of a challenge. Credit goes out to them all, who accepted the situation, re-grouped and started to focus on the areas I suggested while we waited for a more stabilized program of events. For many, having an extended period of aerobic focus (without events breaking up the year) has seen massive improvements in specific endurance and this was great silver lining to hold on to. 


If we jump forward to the winter lockdown, where many of us still are, I have seen a significant improvement in positive mindsets. We are now seeing a light which is allowing us to plan a little more and to feel more of a real focus. With an influx of new enquiries, I would also say this feeling stretches beyond my current client base. With this positivity, I see many finally becoming happier in day to day life as well as in their adventures.

Surprise, surprise, this is when the wheels come off for me!


I tend to thrive through hard times, with the air becoming more positive and less of my personal energy being used to help others, I feel myself relaxing and this starts a slow yet clear pattern in me. I notice that I struggle to find my drive, I start to question my successes and whether I deserve them.


On the day our latest lockdown was eased (from 1k-1hr to 20k-3hr) I had a new trail running route planned and I felt mentally so excited.

However, what happened was not what I had expected. Whilst I knew I was in great shape physically, I was not really aware of the impending meltdown. After only 2k and a few hundred meters of vertical I was exhausted. Not letting this spoil my plan, I pushed on assuming it would pass. Man did it not pass, but instead got worse. My mind had finally relaxed and allowed a release of pressure that had been building since March and every emotion and strain of the past 9 months landed right in front of me. 


I have raced endurance events around the world across many disciplines, taken on adventures that have pushed me way beyond my comfort. But this fatigue was unreal. I actually wanted to stop and cry (maybe I even did a little). My mind had to work on keeping my legs moving while going through so many draining emotions. It was as though 2020 had hit me all in one go, broke me and then built me back up. 


To sum up a crazy year, never underestimate the power of your inner drive (not motivation, this comes and goes with the wind) to get you through. At the same time respect the impact that psychological stress can have on you physically.


Thank you to all my athletes, friends and family for all your love and energy and here’s to 2021. 

Jon Fearne has 24 years of working with athletes across all areas of endurance and adventure, whilst pushing his own limits even longer - often finding them and looking to go beyond.

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It’s a simple choice really, we concentrate on developing ourselves in subjects that are either intrinsically or extrinsically motivating depending on your needs Vs wants but we don’t spend enough time concentrating on how we can all improve the world around us. So whilst we’ve seen that level of self development rise and a large number of people have been intrinsically motivated to create and build a positive lifestyle, there are many that have jumped on the bandwagon and to join in this movement to escape the lockdown blues. So whilst we saw a large number of people out running, cycling, walking in the hills, using this excuse of “Because Boris said we can” what happened when the lockdown was lifted? Did they do it because it was a way to show some kind of compliance or rebellion? How many people actually changed their lifestyles or carried on post lockdown. Did they look at what they needed to become better instead of carrying on being full time members of the Netflix and Dominos club? So if Sir David Attenborough joining Instagram wasn’t enough to show the world that it needs change, that we as a population needs to open our eyes and see the destruction that we’re doing to our planet. Then I don’t know what will make people change. We as a population need to take our level of self accountability to a whole new level. 2020 has been an interesting year, one I hope we all learn from because if we don’t, then it’s only going to get more difficult. Now if I can create a business, write another book, start a podcast to get people talking more, having those important conversations and network on a higher level, then I can’t see why others can’t too. Globally, we’ve got the power to interact and connect to anyone at anytime. So let’s make a positive change, together we can make a change but let’s not carry on being politicians pawns on their global chessboard. If one person can create one positive action, just think of the possibilities of what millions can do?
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