The newly crowned Paralympic T20 and world 1500m champion on his training regime, Paris 2024 and his incredible season so far
Fife AC’s Ben Sandilands – crowned world 1500m champion in Paris in 2023 (in the T20 category for athletes with an intellectual impairment) – opens up about the training programme that helped him win Paralympic gold in the French capital.
Sandilands set a new world record of 3:45.40 at the Stade de France – breaking American Mikey Brannigan’s 3:45.50 – to make the top of the podium.
The 21-year-old had a lifetime best of 3:47.02 and before Paris 2024 won the ambulant 1500m at the London Athletics Meet in July. His mile best of 4:06.02 was the fifth-fastest in Scotland in 2023, while his 3000m PB (8:11.80) ranks him in the Scottish top 20 for the year to date.
Sandilands is coached by Steve Doig and trains in a mixed ability group alongside fellow Great Britain internationals Owen Miller, the Tokyo Paralympic T20 1500m champion, and Steven Bryce, his T20 1500m team-mate at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris.
“Owen is definitely an inspiration and has been really positive [about the Paralympic Games], as has Steven,” says Sandilands, who first joined Doig’s group at Fife AC at the age of nine.
“Owen has always been there,” adds Sandilands’ mum, Claire. “I think he’s very like Ben and he’s just told him to enjoy the experience and to treat the race like any other!”
Ben Sandilands (Getty)
Athletes in the T20 category can find it hard to absorb information, particularly in competition environments, and for Sandilands that can mean difficulty in remembering race instructions, pacing, or potentially even how far he’s running.
Track laps are, in theory, easier to compute, but Sandilands’ talent is not limited to the 1500m. In March he ran the second-fastest short leg overall as Fife AC finished fifth at the Scottish National Road Relays, and in May he was third at the Scottish 5km Road Championships in 14:25 (his 5km PB is 14:17 from April 2024 and ranks him 12th fastest in Scotland this year).
Previously, he has represented Scotland in cross country; in fact, when he made his debut at the Antrim International Cross Country in January 2018, he made family history.
Over 100 years ago, his great, great grandfather George Sandilands had also earned his first Scotland vest, finishing fourth in the 100 yards at the Scotland versus Ireland international athletics event at Ibrox Park, Glasgow in 1910.
“I didn’t know about my great, great grandfather until my Pops gave me his 1910 Scotland Cap after my own debut for Scotland in Ireland,” he says. “I’m very proud to have it.”
Now blazing his own trail, Ben Sandilands is inspired by the incredible athletics achievements of family, friends and team-mates.
Josh Kerr (Getty)
“It was great to watch Josh [Kerr] and Laura [Muir] in the Olympics, he says. “We trained early on the night of Josh’s 1500m final so we could watch it together at the track and it was really exciting. I saw Laura’s race at home and I was so pleased she got a PB. I also enjoy watching the Six Nations rugby at the Stade de France.”
As Sandilands moved up through the age groups he has added a second session on a Thursday and increased the duration of his usual Sunday run. He also introduced gym work and aqua-jogging to his training programme in recent months.
“He loves both,” says his mum. “Sometimes he’s so tired he struggles to get out of the pool, but thankfully the pool staff, including his sister Katie who works there as a lifeguard, are excellent and very accommodating.”
His easy runs are done to time rather than distance.
“There’s not really any need to adapt sessions [for Ben] as we’ve benefitted from having some excellent mainstream athletes within the group who have taken on the burden of pace making,” explains coach Doig. “The support provided by other athletes within the group has been instrumental in setting up the T20 athletes for the success they’ve had, and I’m extremely grateful to all the athletes who have made a contribution in this way.”
Ben Sandilands (Getty)
A typical training week
Monday: rest day
Tuesday: (am) 30min easy run; (pm) track session e.g., 10min tempo – 1200m/1000m/800m/800m (200m recovery after reps/400m recovery after final rep) – 4 x 500m (200m recovery after each 500m/400m recovery after final run) – 4 x 250m (150m after each 250m/400m recovery after final run) – 6min tempo
Wednesday: 45min easy run
Thursday: (am) 30min easy run; (pm) track session
Friday: 30-45min easy run
Saturday: track session e.g., 10min tempo – 5 x 800m (100m recovery after reps/800m recovery after final run) – 3 x 500m (300m/200m differentials, 800m recovery) – 6min tempo
Sunday: 90min approx.
Favourite session: “I enjoy track sessions with the group because I love the social side of training, as well as the hard work. I also like running 200m reps because I can run the bend fast and it makes me feel good!”
Least favourite session: “Grass loops in the park, especially if I’m on my own.”
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