Hannah Taunton: How the para runner trained for the Paralympics during the pandemic

What do you do when you are preparing for a debut in the Paralympic Games and a global pandemic means you cannot train with your coach? Call in your dad as a replacement.

For para runner Hannah Taunton, who will be competing in the T20 1500m event on Friday, 3 September, the year-long delay to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo and the repeated Covid-19 enforced lockdowns meant she had to find alternative ways to prepare.

Taunton, incidentally also from Taunton, Somerset, began running aged 12 after being encouraged to join her local athletics club by a school teacher.

Having started out as a cross-country and half marathon specialist, the 30-year-old more recently successfully switched to the track in order to compete in Tokyo.

However, when the 2020 Paralympics were postponed by a year because of the pandemic, and with Great Britain forced into repeated lockdowns, Taunton had to adapt her training habits.

"I wasn't able to see my coach for months so she sent my training programme to my dad. He bought a stopwatch and a whistle and became my active coach," she told BBC Points West.

"He also cycled along with me for long runs and we couldn't use the track for many months so I trained on local roads and parks like Longrun Meadow and Trenchard Way.

"I had to train on my own at first, then ran with one friend from Taunton Athletic Club or Running Forever Running Club around Taunton itself. When we were able to travel I trained on the Quantocks and on the coast like Exmouth, Minehead and Burnham."

For Taunton, who competes in the T20 discipline for those with an intellectual impairment, the disruption to her schedule and significant changes to her routine were challenging.

"It has frustrated me quite a lot because I don't like change, I found things being cancelled very, very difficult," she said.

"I found it stressful, not being able to see my friends and family. I couldn't train as usual or take part in running events that I love doing."

The past 18 months still brought success for Taunton, however. In Manchester last September at the British Championships, Taunton broke the T20 world record for 5000m on the track, clocking a time of 17:17.30.

And then after finishing fifth at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai in 2019 in the 1500m, Taunton went one better at this June's WPA European Championships in Poland to finish fourth in the same event.

Taunton credits the running community in Somerset and her club, Taunton Athletic Club, with supporting her progression through the sport.

"It's been great, I've got lots and lots of supporting friends that have been really, really helpful to me," added Taunton, who is a regular at her local Parkrun.

The Tokyo Paralympics might be the biggest event Taunton has ever competed in before, but the aim there is simple: "I am going to try my very best to bring back a medal home," she said. "I'm quite excited."