How your body handles trail versus road running. They had me on the track from a young age, probably shortly after I got my first Lego set, when I was five. The fact that we lived just outside Eugene, Oregon [known as Tracktown, USA], was a major bonus.
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Health & Injuries. It was right after one of his New York City Marathon wins in the early 1980s. I asked to take a picture with him, and I got the photo blown up and framed to put on my bedroom wall.
Why embracing boring makes you a stronger runner. I loved the 200m and 400m distances. They were just long enough for me to stride out and take on the field.
I was recruited by New York University for athletics and went to law school there, too. When I was still a lawyer I’d get boxes delivered to my apartment that were filled with Lego and I would take commissions to build things.
Five-minute activities that bring maximum results – but also exciting – than telling your boss you are quitting your job to become a Lego artist.
Because of a lack of time I wasn't running when I was a lawyer. How to run a 5-minute mile.
When I’m running, my art might be just a little bit better. Why I pulled out of the London n.
On one run I was thinking about the engineering challenges of building [DC comics superhero] The Flash. It needed to look like it was running but still stand on its own without toppling over. After a few miles, I realised I could use streak lines coming off him for support.
For another sculpture, I have The Flash as if you’ve caught him just as he’s putting his foot down – his foot is much flatter than a proper runner would have it, but his foot being down helps support him.
What I’ve realised with building runners out of Lego is that you can’t get the best form! You want your runner striding out, to look like the runner is running. But when you are working with Lego, making sculptures using it, you’subside working with a very heavy thing that has to be supported – but there’s also a fragility to it.
Years ago I made a piece called Red Reaching, and people say it looks like the moment when you cross the finish line, with your arms raised. I like to leave it up to the viewer to decide what they see.
Meet the cover star: Milly Pickles. I gave up a career in law to follow my dream. It's the same with running and pushing through the wall.
The Flash, above, is part of Sawaya’s of the best hill training workouts for runners exhibition, on London’s South Bank until September 3rd.
