IN addition to being the world's top-rated 1500m runner, Laura Muir is also a huge fan of the Harry Potter franchise. Erin Wallace is simply the latest Scot to fall under her spell.
The 18-year-old, showing huge promise in both middle distance and triathlon, recently joined Andy Young's elite training group at the Emirates Arena where she has been mesmerised watching the levels which Muir and others are working at on a daily basis.
Herald Sport wrote last week about how Canada's Gabriela Stafford had crossed the pond to be part of this all-star Scottish stable but a strong run for Scotland Under-20 at the Great Stirling X Country on Saturday suggests that Wallace is reaping the benefits, too.
“I’ve been there for two months now and I am really enjoying it so far,” said Wallace. “As I got older, everyone in my club seemed to be getting younger. They were all going off to university so it seemed like a natural step to move over to a more senior group.
“The last time I raced Laura, remember when she did the 5k two years ago, well I was in the 3k and she almost lapped me and she still had 10 laps left,” said Wallace. “I was lying at the side dying and she was still going round!
“She is still so down to earth, she doesn’t act like this big famous athlete that she is,” Wallace added. “I knew she was a tank before but watching her in training puts a new perspective on it. She deserves everything she gets. Actions speak louder than words. It is really good to see how she trains.
"Andy’s sessions are really hard – I do a bit of a longer warm up and the sessions are a bit more intense than what I am used to. At my previous club, Giffnock, I was one of the faster ones and now I have gone to being one of the slowest in the group. It is quite a big change . . . but definitely a positive change, I think, in the long run.”
Wallace's potential in two different disciplines puts her in an enviable, if somewhat complicated, position. A world junior silver medalist in triathlon in September as well as a world 1500m finalist just a month later, she insists she will give it another year before deciding which path to go down. Thankfully, the competitions calendar in both sports this year is co-operating.
“Has the priority shifted? I wouldn’t say so," she said. "I’ll just try it out and if all of a sudden I am loving track I will go to that. But at the same time, if I am loving triathlon I will go to that. I will see how this year goes, but definitely I will go with what one I enjoy the most, rather than which one I am best at.
“I'm quite lucky this year because all the major events for tri and athletics are quite well spread out. There are a few months between all of them. The World Junior silver medal definitely gave me a lot more motivation for this season, going into training. I really enjoyed it out there, so it has just made my decision even more difficult. It was another positive to do triathlon. It is a good position to be in, I guess.”
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