Colin Jackson

Pursuit Line Podcast

Dealing with “The Afterlife”

• Ed and Colin first met in the greenroom of Question Of Sport. They had a conversation about the transition of being an athlete to “The Afterlife”; life after being an athlete.

• Colin’s advice for getting through the afterlife: 1 - Take your time. 2 - Be forgiving of yourself when learning new things.

• You don’t become a champion by just sitting on your backside doing nothing. A champion has a drive and focus that will help them get somewhere even after their athletic career.

• There is a downside to going from focusing on one sport to doing loads many different things. It can be underwhelming to be a jack of all trades and a master of none. Colin explains that being excellent at lots of things and not perfect at one, can still be amazing and fulfilling.

• Fake it till you make it. It doesn’t work in sports, but it does in real life.

• It is important to say no to things. Colin was bad at this, as he thought if he said no he would lose an opportunity. This led to him taking way too much on and doing a lot of things he didn’t really want to do.

• It’s important to talk to people about your struggles. Colin didn’t, as no one really talked about it back then, and it made the transition harder.

• There isn’t a lot of support for the afterlife of athletes. It is getting better though.

• People leaving the military, or even other industries after a long period, can feel a similar feeling of “The Afterlife”.

Colin’s Life

• Colin’s first love was Cricket. He picked athletics purely because it was a 5 minute walk away over a 3 hour drive and he wanted to get home to watch tv.

• Colin got gold medals without the funding of the lottery behind him. He did this by having an inner drive and parents who agreed to support him until he was 21. Once he won a gold medal at a major championship he was getting paid to race.

• Colin’s world record. He approached it as his personal best, not focusing on the fact it was the best in the world.

• Colin’s 40 unbeaten races record. He didn’t notice it at first, and it became a burden once it got pointed out to him. When a burden is added, it takes away the fun.

• Colin’s eating disorder whilst he was competing. It was a result of him really trying to improve his game. He was winning medals so he knew no one could challenge him on it. Ed says he has seen this in cycling as well, and it’s a shame. Colin thinks he would of probably broken even more records had he eaten enough.

• Colin’s struggle after retiring. He was lost for a while because he had no purpose.

• Colin has never found the same passion he felt for sport in the afterlife. He believes it’s because he no longer focuses on just one thing.

• Colin puts his fitness above his work. He considers it very important for both his physical and mental health.

• Colin’s knees have been giving him trouble recently. He is currently getting stem cell treatment for them.

• Colin is working on the “Wings For Life” World Run. This is a run which is raising money for spinal cord injuries.

Lessons Colin has Learnt from his Career

• It’s important to reframe things in your mind and find the positive. Ed is new at this and is finding it hard to overcome the expectations his career put on him, but Colin says that’s fine. If you are new to something you are not rubbish at it, you are learning.

• Colin’s drive, motivation and commitment were the keystones behind his successful career.

• We should focus on the long term over the short term. We should educate young athletes on this at a very young age.

• Ed talks about how humble and nice Colin is. He thinks these are traits of success, even if most people don’t consider them to be.

References:

• Wings For Life World Run
• Colin’s Instagram
• Pro Noctis Youtube Channel
• Pursuit Line Instagram
• Pursuit Line Website
• Pursuit Line Email: [e-mail]

All music by AlexGrohl from Pixabay

Podcast produced by Liam Wilkinson