FEATURE: FOR THE LOVE OF RUNNING FOR THE LOVE OF RUNNING JAMES— YOU HAD AN HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH OBVIOUSLY, THIS CHANGE IMPRESSIVE CAREER AS AN SOMETHING SO TRAUMATIC WOULD HAVE BEEN A ATHLETE BEING A FORMER AND LIFE CHANGING? MASSIVE IMPACT TO YOU. DID AUSTRALIAN 1500M AND YOU GET ANY HELP FROM A 800M CHAMPION. HOW DID JK: I was quite lucky at the time beingPSYCHOLOGIST OR FAMILY YOU FEEL ABOUT BEING TOLD involved with NSWIS. I had doctors, AND FRIENDS? YOU HAD TO END YOUR physios and everyone there to treat me. CAREER AS AN ATHLETE? I had a really good year of rehab in 2014JK: I did a little bit. I had a really good HOW DID THIS AFFECT after my first hip surgery, but the diseaseteam around me with my parents and my YOUR CAREER? was degenerative so it kept getting worsebrother-in-law who is a physio and had I and meant I had to keep continuing on also had access to NSWIS physios. My JK: I was quite unlucky— I got a with physio treatment. One of the biggestcoach and manager at the time were rare blood disorder: Idiopathic things for me was just shifting my focus,really supportive and never put it upon thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) back so when I found out I wasn’t going to beme to think about the downsides and in 2008 which put me out for 6 months,able to run anymore, I decided to finishreminded me to always think of the and led to a splenectomy. I was able tomy university degree [Sport and Exercisepositives. My mum did a lot of work with return to running, but I also got a rareScience with Business Management] and Lifeline so she knew how to deal with hip disorder (pigmented villonodular refocus on another area while continuingpsychological issues that arise from synovitis) in 2014 which saw me getting awith my rehab. My mindset was that I tragedy— like being told you will never couple of surgeries and injections in mywould always get back and run; I even be able to run again. So I shifted my focus. right hip and later on in 2017, getting a hiptried back in 2015 to run recreationallyI was always able to do that throughout replacement. It is very disappointing to,but because of the disease, it my running career—if I had a little injury leave running because of this disease anddegenerated the joint so much that I or set-back, or if I had a bad race, I was what it has done to me, but it’s one ofwasn’t able to continue running. So, able to reset and focus. Once I went back those challenges you must face. from there on, I decided to focus on a to university, I refocused on just doing the career in sport, in particular, athletics.best I possibly could at uni. I thought, if I can do this as well as I ran, I would be able to set myself up in a successful position. JAMES, HOW HAVE YOU FOUND YOUR TRANSITION FROM ATHLETE TO COACH? DID YOU ALWAYS WANT TO BE A COACH? JK: I always wanted to be involved in athletics. I used to think I would be running till I’m 35 and then I would naturally find my avenue in the sport. Obviously, I had to make the quick decision of how I wanted to be involved in athletics. Back in 2015, I was in Cologne Instagram @james_kaan Instagram @james_kaan 8 VOLUME 36 • APRIL ISSUE 2018