Vassos Alexander, who rose to prominence on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 2 and Virgin Radio, tells Sport and Life about his new gig on Track Radio and about running more than 100 marathons and completing the 153-mile Spartathlon.
Watch a preview of the chat with Vassos Alexander below:
Watch or listen to the full chat with Vassos Alexander below:
Shock decision
If you’re one of the millions of people to have listened to The Chris Evans Breakfast Show over the past decade and a half across its BBC Radio 2 and Virgin Radio incarnations you’ll likely know Vassos Alexander’s name. If the name doesn’t ring any bells, it’s a safe bet you’ll recognise his voice.
Alexander made the shock decision to leave Evans’ iconic show last summer after 14 years of being the sport presenter on the programme.
He’s now hit the airwaves as Breakfast Presenter on Track Radio alongside Charlotte Daly. Track Radio is a brand new station that combines conversation about sport with rock and pop music.
But he tries to employ Evans’ knack of making all topics interesting to all and doesn’t go in for too much stat-laden sports analysis.
“For a long time I was the Radio Two sports guy and when you’ve got an audience of ten million, you have to keep the people who love sport interested and you have to keep the people who don’t necessarily love sport interested,” Alexander told Sport and Life.
“I don’t think that people who do want to talk about false nines mind you talking about football more generally and painting the broader brush strokes.
“Track Radio is music and sport, what it says on the tin. Not just men’s sport, not just football, not just elite sport, actually.”
Energy and enthusiasm permeate Vassos’ voice. So perhaps it’s not a surprise to learn that he’s a keen exerciser. But the scale of the exercise is a shock. He’s run more than 100 marathons and the Ultra 153-mile Spartathlon in the land of his Greek forefathers.
Born-again runner
“I love it. I’m sort of a born-again runner. I’m absolutely evangelical about the transformative power of running. It ticks all the boxes for me. The mental health, the sense of space, the sense of adventure. The connection to where you are running.”
Vassos is humble. He may not have been a long distance runner in his youth, but clearly he has a talent for it. The Spartathlon isn’t just about completing 153 miles, which seems impossible in itself! There are stringent cutoff times you have to beat along the way.
“They make it hard. You have to do the first marathon out of Athens in three and a half hours or three hours forty-five. Either way it’s quite punchy when you’ve got another five and bit marathons to go!
“They make such a fuss of you. Kids grab your hands and everyone’s up and celebrating and it just feels like you’ve got history on your back as you make this run.”
Just start
The Spartathlon by definition isn’t for everyone. Only around 400 runners are allowed to enter each year and a lot less finish it.
But often the biggest benefits of movement are seen by those who go from nothing to something. And Vassos says newbie runners should just walk out the door and build up little by little.
“I started running for as long as I could, a minute or so, and then did some walking breaks. And then I got to 10 minutes running on and thought what if I don’t take my walking break? And then I did twenty minutes running and thought, hang on, twenty minutes is a run!”
Like a lot of things in life, the important tactic is just start.
If you’d like to start listening to Vassos Alexander (perhaps whilst on your run!) he hosts Track Radio on weekdays from 7am.
