About 220 clients of the strategy, M&A and transformation recruiter attended to hear Lord Coe discuss his running career, his foray into politics, and his experiences leading the successful bid in 2005 to bring the 2012 Olympics to London. 

Interviewed on the night by The Barton Partnership founder and CEO Nick Barton, Coe’s enthusiastically received comments included revelations of behind-the-scenes memories of the run-up to the announcement of London winning the Games and anecdotes of his rivalry with fellow Great Britain middle-distance runner Steve Ovett.

Speaking of London’s bid to get the Games, Coe revealed that at a pre-announcement lunch attended by a number of former and then-current British athletes, each had commented that they would be willing to give up “all of their past achievements to get the right decision the next day” for London.

Of the latter, Coe said his rivalry with Ovett did not abate even during the holidays. On Christmas [Day] 1979, with particularly bad weather, Coe went out for a 13-mile run. “I remember I felt vaguely uneasy,” he said, thinking of what training Ovett might be undertaking on that day, and he decided to go out later to run an additional five miles. 

Years later, Coe encountered his former rival and admitted the obsession over their rivalry that led to his two runs on Christmas Day. The audience at the Barton event roared when Coe shared Ovett’s response: “Did you only go out two times that day?” 

Other comments from Coe during the evening:

• About his time as chief of staff to former Tory Party leader William Hague: “We should have done more to break the ‘glass ceiling’.”
• About competitive athletics: “You spend your whole day figuring out how to be better.”
• On deciding to retire from competitive sport: “In 1989, I realised, I’m never going to run quicker.”
• On criticism: “People that achieve have got to be… pretty thick-skinned.”

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