Dinner defrosted and demolished, here they are, Non Stanford and fianc\u00e9 Aaron Royle at their home in Leeds.<\/p>\n
Non, fresh from her phenomenal final major Games<\/strong> <\/a>(and a week before she\u2019d win the European Champs title in Munich<\/strong><\/a>) and about to embark on her farewell Super League tour before retirement <\/strong><\/a>(which was yet to be officially announced at time of interview).<\/p>\n And Royle, who\u2019s starting to make some serious waves in the long-distance world, a couple of weeks away from racing his first Collins Cup<\/strong><\/a>., where he would beat two-time Kona champ Patrick Lange<\/strong><\/a> in his race match-up.<\/p>\n But like their racing style there\u2019s no hanging about, we\u2019ve got a lot to cover\u2026<\/p>\n 220:<\/strong> Non, have you come down off your Commonwealth high yet?<\/strong><\/p>\n Non Stanford:<\/strong> No! It still hasn\u2019t really sunk in, just because we weren\u2019t expecting to get silver at all. We knew we were an outside chance, but I think we really surprised everybody, including ourselves.<\/p>\n I\u2019m just really proud of the rest of the team because they really stepped up at their first time racing at that level. I felt like their mum!<\/p>\n 220:<\/strong> Are you able to sum up what that entire weekend meant to you in your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n NS:<\/strong> It was a really special experience, at almost a home Games! The support was absolutely incredible on both days. Even people with English flags were cheering for us.<\/p>\n I\u2019d like to have done a little bit better in the individual race<\/strong><\/a> [6th], but when I look back at the fact that I was on crutches 10 weeks ago, I can\u2019t really complain. But it\u2019s probably the most I\u2019ve ever enjoyed a race. And it was my last major Games so I wanted to make a point of enjoying it.<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to do the Super League<\/strong> <\/a>season, so hopefully I\u2019ve got a few more good results in me.<\/p>\n 220: That\u2019s some turn-around.<\/strong><\/p>\n NS:<\/strong> Yeah, I tore my calf muscle two days before Yokohama<\/strong><\/a>. I went out for a run with Georgia [Taylor-Brown]<\/strong><\/a> and pulled up. Luckily she had her Apple watch on so we could get a taxi back to the hotel. I flew back on my own, so that was difficult. Negotiating the airport with all your luggage on crutches! Yeah that was an interesting experience!<\/p>\n But I had to have three weeks off running, and then it was quite a slow, gradual build back. And I definitely pushed the envelope far more than the medical team advised, but we were on a tight deadline for the Commonwealths!<\/p>\n I\u2019d have loved to have had another couple of weeks of running. But I think I still had two of the fastest run splits in both races. I was just probably lacking a little bit of sharpness. It just shows that I\u2019ve probably got enough experience now to just crack on.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A post shared by Non Stanford (@nonstanford)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/34\/2022\/08\/team-wales-commonwealth-games-2022-f477abb.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n