Profile: johnloguk

Favourite sporting film moment(s)?

Chariots of Fire still hits all the buttons for me as a sporting film. It may be tackling subjects that can look a bit dated in the 21st century, but I still think there is something there in the conflicts between personal ambition and more altruistic ideals. Most sporting films are horribly embarrassing, and don't even come close to portraying the reality of sport, so I tend to like the documentary type films. "When we Were Kings", the Ali/Foreman rumble in the jungle is superb, as are several films of real climbing expeditions. Touching the Void is magnificent, but I also love archive footage films of the early Himalayan expeditions.

Best Book about Sport?

Years ago I read Roger Black's autobiography and loved it. He seems a genuinely nice guy, he battled against a whole series of injuries for years, and would have been the greatest 400 metre runner of his generation if he hadn't been a contempory of Michael Johnson. But I love the old mountain explorer books by Tilman and Shipton, which are all available as compilation volumes. A world of true exploration and human endurance, less than 100 years ago.

What music/band do you listen to when you are training/doing mind numbing workout stuff?

My musical tastes are very eclectic. Being a child of the late 60s/early 70s I have a soft spot for prog rock, and wish that people had a more open mind towards it as a genre. Yes, some of it was overblown and pompous bilge, but a lot of it was beautiful, passionate and moving. There are some great new Prog bands out there now, and my favourites would have to be Porcupine Tree and Mostly Autumn. They mix up real rockers with more ethereal stuff, which I then choose to suit my mood. I love Springsteen too, and find songs like Born to Run and Thunder Road get me in the mood for a long hard run. More ethereal stuff like Clannad or Capercaillie is great as a soundtrack to a great sunset high on a mountain. Runrig have songs to suit every moment too, especially while backpacking in the Highlands of Scotland.

Which sports career would you most like to have?

It's a toss up between being a professional mountain guide and a sports photographer. I guess that the photographer would have to win out, as the responsibility of being a guide might outweigh being paid to do your hobby. I have a friend who is a mountain guide, and he once had a paying client die, through no fault of anyone, but it haunts him to this day.

Which moment in your sporting life was better than sex?

If only you could combine the two! There is a huge buzz from knowing you have completed something really difficult, but without wanting to sound all sentimental about it the Kilimanjaro climb with my wife was pretty special.