In 2019 everything changed for Seb Rodger. He went from being focussed on qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics to stepping away from the sport he had been part of since he was a youngster at Eastbourne Rovers. Kate Matthews caught up with the talented Sussex athlete to chat about his background in the sport, training and dealing with changes following isolation and Covid19.
Kate: Who are you?
Seb: I am 28 years old and I live in London. I am a former 400m hurdler. I say former because I have recently stepped away from the sport due to a bad knee injury in 2019.
Kate: Tell me more about this….
Seb: At the end of the 2018 season I moved my training set-up to Loughborough. I had a great winter training and was looking forward to a big summer. I opened up really well, my third race of the season was in Geneva where I ran 49.58. I remember having a slightly sore knee after the race but nothing serious, a week later I tried to sprint in training and my left knee gave way.
I rested it, had the doctor look at it and I decided to travel to the Lausanne Diamond League. In hindsight this wasn’t a good idea. I struggled to warm up the day before but I was mentally ready to race. I got through the start of my warm-up and believed I could actually get out there, that was until I put my spikes on and tried a stride out, my knee gave way again, and there was a crunch. At this point my physio pulled me out.
I was upset but refused to believe this was anything serious. I was on the phone to my agent the day after confirming my place for the Anniversary Games in London. I travelled back from Switzerland and had an MRI immediately. The doctor could see some warning signs, he sent me to a knee specialist in London the next day. This is where the true extent of my injury was explained to me. I had a micro fracture and had pulled my cartilage away from the bone. 10 days later I was having surgery on my knee. The nature and placement of this injury meant returning to hurdling would be incredibly slim, 6 weeks on crutches with no weight bearing on my left leg was extremely hard. I would be out of the sport for at least a year. Ruling me out of the Tokyo Olympics (this was Pre-Coronavirus!) As you can imagine this was devastating for me to hear, I have worked so hard for so many years. But fast forward to now and I have been rehabbing and have got back into running which is an incredible feeling. Nothing fast but it doesn’t have to be. Stepping away and coming to terms with my career and injury has been a long process but finally I am looking forward and am so ready for the next chapter in my life!
Kate: How did you first get into athletics?
Seb: I first started athletics when I was 11 years old, I ran in my junior schools cross country (I went to Ocklynge School in Eastbourne) and actually won! I ran because I wanted to get out of school and was quite a fast runner, but now I can’t imagine why anyone would willingly put themselves through that much pain, but I was happy to give it a go and I ended up being quite good at it! I joined Eastbourne Rovers soon after and really enjoyed training and trying different events. I made so many friends at the track, it was such fun and I felt part of a team and the social side was good too! 
It wasn’t until joining Steve Kings group in Brighton as a skinny 15 year old that I began taking athletics seriously. Steve has been a huge support and I know without his dedication to me and the sport, I would never have achieved what I have. We were a real team but more importantly great friends. All the highs and lows I went through, he also went through too. As a decathlete I qualified for the World Juniors in 2010 but ended up missing a spot due to having two very talented decathletes scoring more than me. However I still went to Canada as part of the 4x400m relay, and we won the Bronze medal!
In 2012 we decided to fully give 400m hurdles a go……and it proved to be the right choice! I realised I wanted to be a full-time athlete as a job, and I wasn’t going to achieve this as a decathlete. As I was a fast 400m runner and a solid hurdler, I thought let’s give it a go, if I could run 47.70 as a decathlete what could I run if I committed to it fully without having to squeeze 9 other events into my training week?
I have competed for Crawley AC and then Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers.
Kate: What do you love/hate about the sport?
Seb: I love athletics, I love the individuality of it, if you commit to work hard you will see the results, you also can’t blame anyone else, you get what you put in! I also just love the idea of humans pushing their bodies right to the edge of what is possible.
I hate the politics in the sport. Athletics should be black and white, the fastest the furthest wins, this should be the case when selecting teams. This the problem I experienced competing at the higher levels of the sport. In 2016 after winning the British Trials and becoming the British Champion, I just missing out on the Olympic standard and British Athletics chose to select the 2nd, 3rd and 4th guys who I beat to go to the European Championships. I then had to find races all over Europe and compete in as many as I could, funding myself in an attempt to run the qualification standard for the Rio Olympics.
Athletics has a real problem with drugs. I feel there are many people cheating and protected which makes it worse. I’m not talking about the Russians here, there is a huge amount of shady people pushing the limits of what they can take, and people are covering this up. Drug cheats should be banned from the sport for life.
Kate: What kept you in athletics?
Seb: I have had a very up and down career, a lot of testing difficult times which does make you question why you keep going. But ultimately it’s all worth it, when things go well when you achieve something you’ve worked so hard for, when you perform in front of thousands of people it gives you that electric feeling, a high which reminds you to keep fighting. How many people get paid to run around a track as a job!
Kate: What is your most proud athletics' achievement moment?
Seb: I am very lucky, there have been many amazing achievements:
- Being selected to complete for England in an International Combined Events competition in 2009.
- The first time I was selected to complete for Great Britain and receiving the kit.
However, the proudest moment of my career was when I won the British Championships in 2016 in Birmingham. I had my parents, coach and friends in the crowd. Before the race I was totally written off, I was having a solid season running consistent times but not fast enough. When the TV commentators were talking about the race and we were being introduced when we were trackside before going into our blocks they did not think I could win! I felt so calm, composed and quietly confident going into the weekend, and in the race it all came together. This was the moment my season changed and nothing was going to stop me from qualifying for the Rio Olympic games!
Kate: What was the toughest moment?
Seb: Where do I start! One of the toughest moments was the year I turned pro, I was funded by British Athletics, I had just signed my Nike contact and the game changed for me, I suddenly felt a huge amount of pressure. Obviously there is pressure in sport but it took the enjoyment out of it. I was training in a high performance facility in Bath, I had all this support, everything was given to me and I had 
unlimited resources of people wanting to help, medical support and biomechanics ‘professional coaches', all these great people were around me but I was just not running well. This was partially because my coaches in Bath wanted me to change how many strides I took between each hurdle, this threw me and made it very hard to run fast when you are trying to find your rhythm. I felt I should be able to run as they wanted me to, I could in training but not in competitions when it mattered. It is very mentally challenging when you don’t know what is going wrong. I was 22 and out in a world I hadn’t experienced before, and now I wish I could go back and tell myself what I know now. I’d tell myself not to worry, enjoy it, just have fun, who cares about all the factors you can’t control – all will come in time.
Kate: How often did you train?
Seb: I was training 5-6 days a week, this would sometimes change depending on how my body was feeling or if it was competition season. Training is all about training smart and listening to your body, otherwise injuries can occur.
Kate: Tell me about your injuries and how you dealt with these?
Seb: When I was 16 competing in Sutton in the Indoor County Championships running the 60m Hurdles I nearly detached my hamstring! This took a long time to recover and I was very frustrated. I had a huge amount of physiotherapy and found being patient very hard but realised the importance of carefully carrying out exercises set by physios! Apart from this I have been quite fortunate without big injuries until 2019!
I did have a very frustrating achilles tendonopathy on and off for three years which definitely affected my performances. This was very difficult trying to find the best way to treat my achilles, being a sprinter and especially a hurdler it affected so many aspects of my training and racing. It wasn’t until late 2018 we finally got to grips with it. It is a very challenging injury especially as a runner we are always running, which is what an achilles tendonopathy hates!
Kate: Other than actual achievements/PBs, what has being part of athletics brought to your life?
Seb: Athletics has bought so much to my life, apart from making me the person I am today, it has opened so many doors. I have met so many amazing people and some have become my best friends and I’ve been lucky enough to travel and compete all over the world. I have competed in Canada, USA, Russia, Brazil and all over Europe.
Kate: Best athletics memory?
Seb: My favourite memory is when I ran the Olympic A Standard in Belgium on the last qualification day. I was on my own in Europe trying desperately to run a fast time but the weather conditions were not good. I think I raced 4 times in 7 days, I competed in Finland, Barcelona, France and Belgium, and my dad came out to support me the last race, to drive me home regardless of the outcome! I really did everything I possibly could and having my dad there and running the A standard was the best feeling ever! A feeling I will never forget – I was exhausted but so exhilarated, I was heading to Rio as part of Team GB!
Kate: Strangest athletics memory?
Seb: In 2014 before The Commonwealth Games my best mate was the team manager of Sussex for the Inter Counties match, usually I would be abroad competing but this time I was available to compete. The match was in Mile End, to start with my dad and I decided to drive across London and we got stuck in some horrific traffic, Craig, the Team manager was panicking as it was only 30 minutes before my race and I still wasn’t there! I was also madly panicking as I needed to warm up. We finally arrived 15 minutes before my race, the Team manager is happy, especially as he’s thinking this is a guaranteed win. I was only able to do a few strides and get my spikes on and my numbers and I was then down into my blocks. I won, as expected, only to be DQ for a lane infringement on the first hurdle! I might add, I have never been disqualified for this offence previously, in any other competition including The European Under 23s and World Championships! 
Kate: What would you say to younger people wanting to get started?
Seb: To any young people getting involved I would say try all the events, have fun with them, work out what you are best at and be open minded. Also believe in yourself, know that it will not be easy but if you work hard you will improve and see results. Athletics is not just a sport but a lifestyle commitment and it’s certainly worth it.
Kate: What would you change about the sport?
Seb: I would ban drugs cheats for life. There is no place for them in any sport. It would be great to see athletics have more funding, when you think back to 2012 and the buzz around the country and the slogan being ‘Inspire a generation’ What happened, what generation? All I’ve seen is tracks close and precious indoor centres like Horsham being knocked down. I spent most of my career training in the tube at Horsham and when I was a decathlete it was essential - UK weather is not good and I needed to train for 10 events throughout the year.
Kate: How did you juggle training/competitions around work/life etc?
Seb: I was very fortunate as an athlete, I had the best family support. When I left school I didn’t want to do anything else apart from be a professional athlete and go to the Olympics. I left school after my GCSEs at 17 and worked in a warehouse. My boss was hugely supportive and allowed me to leave early so I could train and he later sponsored me financially. Later, my coach Steve retired from teaching and as I was making progress with my athletics I stopped working. As I was living at home with my parents in Eastbourne, I was able to train at 12.30pm in Brighton and then again at 6.00pm in the evening in Horsham with Steve. I became a full-time athlete after World Juniors in 2010 and turned Pro at the end of 2013 after coming 2nd at the European Under 23 Championships in Finland. However, I can’t stress enough how much my family have supported me, without their help I would not have been able to become a full-time athlete.
Kate: Favourite athlete (past or present)?
Seb: My favourite athlete is Ed Moses, especially when I became a 400m hurdler! I have read a lot about him and watched documentaries and love his understanding of the event. 400m hurdles is such a technical rhythmic event you are constantly thinking and trying to improve all the small bits. To go unbeaten for 10 years is a pretty amazing record!
When I first moved to Bath in 2014 Dai Green was also there, I loved asking him questions even though I am sure he found me annoying. Since then we have become good friends and I moved to Loughborough to train with him, I had the opportunity to learn from him, which I loved. He has achieved so much in his career and it is fascinating hearing about his journey. I have never trained with such a focused hard working athlete (when his body allows him).
Kate: Any other favourites i.e food, music?
Seb: I love burgers! Once I arrived at a competition hotel very later the night before and nowhere was open to eat except a McDonalds! The next day I ran a Season’s Best, so for two seasons including 2016, had a burger the night before a race! It seemed to work, until one day I ran terribly! I also hated being so superstitious, although this happens to be a tasty one!
Kate: How are you managing to keep fit/train during Corona?
Seb: Since being in lockdown I have been getting out to do my hour of exercise and I am really enjoyed it. It has allowed me to slowly push myself and test my knee over different distances. It has also been great to be in a routine, for my mental state as well. It has been the first time where I have really realised how happy running makes me, and not just from competing. I think the amount of people out and about running and doing exercise is good to see, I would say any athlete should use this opportunity to work on their weaknesses, core, rehab and to look forward to next season! It will be a busy exciting year!
I would also say that with everything going on in the world right now it does make you appreciate the bigger picture. When you are an athlete you are selfish, you are constantly wanting to better yourself, run faster, get into races, make teams, win medals, but right now there are far bigger things going on than sport. Sport is a big part of my life but a small part in the grand scheme of things. I feel very thankful to have my health and to have the best people ever in my life. I do miss seeing my dogs in Sussex but hopefully I’ll be able to see them soon!
I am now happy about my future and am so excited to continue with my future life and with Tokyo Olympics being moved to 2021 never say never! Currently I am very content and I have the most incredible memories of what I have achieved.