{"id":1040007579,"date":"2025-09-16T07:00:31","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T06:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/?p=1040007579"},"modified":"2025-09-15T03:47:40","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T02:47:40","slug":"a-lap-with-ben-pattison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/news\/a-lap-with-ben-pattison-1040007579\/","title":{"rendered":"A lap with Ben Pattison"},"content":{"rendered":"

We speak to the world 800m medallist about building work and bouncing back from injury<\/p>\n

After an uncertain start to the year, the hard work has paid off for Ben Pattison. Following knee and quad pain during winter training stints in both Flagstaff and Potchefstroom, the 2023 world 800m bronze medallist suffered a stress fracture in his femur, resulting in him being in crutches for a fortnight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But, such was his enthusiasm to get back to full fitness that, on top of aqua jogging, cycling and cross-training, the 28-year-old built a log cabin in his Loughborough back garden when he was injured.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s now my new home set-up,\u201d he says, reflecting on a tough period. \u201cI got a cross-trainer from eBay for about \u00a3150. I\u2019ve got a Zwift bike in there and a treadmill as well. My parents came up and helped me build it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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\u201cIt was quite a stressful two weeks constructing it but you have to invest in yourself. So I thought: \u2018I\u2019ll get this done\u2019. It\u2019s genuinely been life-changing and it just means that I can stop when something hurts, whereas if I had pain out and about I\u2019d have to run or walk home. If that\u2019s three miles away, for example, then it\u2019s more problematic.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ben Pattison (Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pattison opened up his 2025 season with a time of 1:47.09 over 800m at Meeting Stanislas Nancy in France on July 4, before he reduced his season\u2019s best to 1:46.08 at the London Diamond League.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He undertook his biggest training week since December in the immediate build-up to London and, after running 1:46.82 in the heats at the UK Athletics Championships a couple of weeks later, felt like he was back to his old self.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A frustrating final followed, however \u2013 Pattison clocked just 1:51.58 for ninth in Birmingham. Putting that performance down to \u201cgut issues\u201d, he knew he\u2019d subsequently have to produce a statement run on the circuit to be in with a shot of selection for the World Athletics Championships.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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Then came Budapest. On the same track that he secured world bronze two years ago, Pattison ran 1:44.14, a mark that was not only under the automatic qualification standard for Tokyo [1:44.50] but also the third quickest by a Brit this season [after Max Burgin and Henry Jonas].\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ben Pattison (Continental Tour Gold)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI said to myself: \u2018Just don\u2019t give up\u2019,\u201d Pattison says. \u201cI gave it absolutely everything in the last 200m. It was such a relief. Before, everyone had written me off and rightly so \u2013\u00a0I hadn\u2019t done anything good enough to warrant selection.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pattison then backed up his time in Budapest with a dramatic win over Jake Wightman in the 800m at the British Milers\u2019 Club meeting in Tooting Bec. Just one hundredth of a second separated the pair as they clocked 1:45.07 and 1:45.08 respectively.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI ticked off the time in Budapest but I then needed to show the selectors that I could beat these calibre of guys,\u201d Pattison says. \u201cWhen I saw Jake had entered I thought: \u2018If I beat him that\u2019s a good sign\u2019.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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\u201cI know I've always been able to race well. I\u2019ve just learnt to enjoy the moment and take the opportunities.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pattison will now get the chance to stand on a global podium once again, joining Burgin and Tiarnan Crorken in Tokyo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Given Pattison\u2019s best is 1:42.27 \u2013 second to only Seb Coe on the UK 800m all-time list \u2013 write him off at your peril in the Japanese capital.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI train to compete at the world level and I\u2019ve been there before, so I know what it takes. One of my main targets this year was to actually break the British record [1:41.73]. Maybe that will happen next season but there are going to be some very quick races in Tokyo.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If you could choose one person to train\/compete with, past of present, who would it be and why?: <\/b>I think my ideal training partner would be Marco Arop. He\u2019s such a nice guy and we get along well. He would be great for the windy days as I could just sit in behind him. He also likes to take races on and I think that would be ideal for me. I\u2019m not sure he\u2019d be too happy about it, though, if I just sat on his shoulder all the time!<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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