Ann Johansson: On Ultra Marathon Running And Creating Luxury Activewear

Ann Johansson is a London-based ultra marathon runner who, through even a brief encounter, makes you re-evaluate your bucket list. She has conquered one of the world’s toughest ultra marathons not once, but twice, and with all those miles under her belt – also managed to dream up (and then create) a perfect activewear collection for the pursuit itself. And she tells her story with bright eyes, a cheeky smile and plenty of enthusiasm for the future.

As part of our new series, Founders, we caught up with Ann to talk about life as a runner slash Entrepreneur, how all that thinking time adds value to your business, and what makes BoomBoom Athletica an essential for any fitness lover’s wardrobe…

ANN, HOW DID YOU GET INTO ULTRA MARATHON RUNNING?

I got into ultra marathon running by chance. I had no desire to run ultras, and I hadn’t even heard of an ultra until I started running marathons. My initial reaction was training for a marathon was already plenty difficult. But thanks to my trainer, who himself was training for a 100 mile race, a few of us decided to join on the longer training runs to see if we could ‘keep up’. Before we knew it, my three marathon training partners and I were signed up to run Comrades, a hilly 90km race in South Africa.

THAT’S QUITE A DISTANCE… HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN A RUNNER?

I have always run, but I started off as a competitive swimmer who used running as cross training. I enjoy running as I find it surprisingly therapeutic and I have some of my best and worst ideas when running. An exception to this previous statement is when I do sprints or fartleks which are less therapeutic as I can hardly breath, let alone think.

TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE SPORT, ITS LEVEL OF COMMITMENT AND THE TYPE OF DISTANCES YOU RUN?

Like anything in life, consistency is key. There are days or weeks when you would rather not train, but having a challenge really helps me make the time to train. When I did my first ultra, I had a few years under my belt running marathons, which helped with endurance and injury prevention as my body did not have to adapt to a massive jump in mileage. The longer distance training started 6 months before the race. This meant we ran one day a week longer than the previous week. The other days of the week we had one-two rest days, some cross training such as spinning, weights, yoga and one to two faster runs. The mileage and hours when we first started training for the ultra would be 1.5-2hrs on the spin bike followed by a 2+hr run. I also had good success with doing two smaller runs a day to safely build up my mileage. The longest run we did before the race was running from London to Brighton a 90km run to go through the motions of 90km.

HOW DO YOU TRAIN FOR AN ULTRA MARATHON?

I had a few years of marathon training so my base level of running was that of a marathon distance. It helps in terms of building mileage for an ultra. I also made sure I incorporated cross training, yoga, and weights. I also do a lot of running… One to two shorter runs a week and then a long run on the weekend. We would start our training with a 2hr run and as the weeks progressed we would finish with a 90km run from London to Brighton. The training runs were also used to dial in nutrition, clothing, fatigue, pacing, mind games when things get tough and running in various weather conditions usually during the same run. You want to be as prepared as possible for the start line so reading up on the race beforehand and try to mentally prepare you for a long day.

Anything can happen when you run an ultra (same as with a marathon). You want to make sure you give yourself the best chance to finish it with confidence. An ultra is a bit friendlier than a marathon as the pace is a bit slower, people are more chatty and very helpful.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR TRAINING ON THIS LEVEL?

Have a goal, or drag a friend out as a running buddy, as this helps you go for a run when you do not want to. Do invest in a great pair of running shoes that fit your feet and stride (go to specific running stores where they can do gait analysis and have multiple brands for you to try). Some good kit, especially a well fitted sports bra, but also leggings with compression and a top that feels comfortable and allows you to run at your best.

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO LAUNCH YOUR OWN WOMENS LUXURY ACTIVEWEAR COLLECTION?

Spending a lot of time pounding the payment, allowed me to dream up kit that would look sleek and technically perform. I found existing kit was either so technical it missed the details that makes a garment feel unique and stylish, or very fashionable but not up to repeated tough workouts. In designing and creating BoomBoom Athletica, I hoped the small details we added such as silicone on tops and waistband that keeps tops from riding up, and high compression leggings that makes your leg looks slimmer and more streamline but also has performance credential of providing more oxygen to the muscles and reduce jarring, are things that benefit anyone that is moving regardless if you are training for a marathon or doing a head stand.

DID YOU EVER SEE YOURSELF AS AN ENTREPRENEUR BEFORE LAUNCHING BOOMBOOM ATHLETICA?

It was an idea I had, and the idea kept on growing and the more I researched and thought advice from people who encouraged me, the more I grew passionate about the venture. The final decision or fact was that I would regret it if I never tried made me take the jump.

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE CHALLENGES YOU’VE FACED, ESTABLISHING YOUR OWN BUSINESS?

I was used to a corporate world where you had support and experts you could draw advice from and everyone would be on the same level of understanding and accountability… as an entrepreneur you have to make a lot of decisions on a lot less information, very quickly. If the decision is not the right one it can be very costly. For example, as a small business I am relying on expertise and advice from European factories, IT from Australia, fabrics from Europe and British, Canadian, and American advisors… everyone has a different background and opinions and way of working… there are bound to be miscommunications and different ways of doing things, that as a small business you feel immediately.

You have to make decisions on things you really do not anything about, so your learning curve is steep. You make a lot of mistakes because you make decisions on a lot of less information and often very quickly, and it helps to try and understand why and what decisions worked and which didn’t and learn not to make the same mistake twice.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE BUILDING A BUSINESS OUT OF A PASSION?

Build your own network that you can rely on. Your friends and family are good a good starting point to build on. Allow them to provide help, feedback and advice. Know what you are good at and what you might need help with. Be prepared to make mistakes, learn from them and move on. Be a bit gutsy, coming from corporate there is always a formal etiquette to follow, when you have your own business there are a lot less… people are more willing to help and support than you think. So I always say, if you don’t ask do not get! It’s important to trust your instincts, more often than not they are correct. Be picky, make sure that your product and service is exactly as you want it to be.

FINALLY, TELL US ABOUT YOUR MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE AS AN ULTRA MARATHON RUNNER?

Running from London to Brighton was a huge stepping-stone because it would tell us if we were ready for Comrades. If we did not make it, we were screwed. We started off at midnight with two support cars filled with friends that thought we were secretly crazy. With a map in our hands and Garmens to track our distance, we shot off at midnight. We somehow managed to get lost in the first 15 minutes. After the support car we got right back on track, we found ourselves on a really odd route, which included long stretches on the M23 at 3am only to a few minutes later run past a massive fake giraffe. As the night progressed, we dealt with all kinds of problems: barely being able to see which lead to bumping into each other like dominos as we were running on a narrow path, one of our runners cursing the day he met us…getting lost again, to coming face to face with a massive hill that we rather sit down and cry beside than run (or what probably looked to most people like a duck walk) and when reached the top we had a welcome team of sheep greeting us.

We tested almost any scenario we could think off, except running in the heat. As we got closer to the Brighton Pier our legs felt like jello, our bodies were ready to collapse, but in our minds we felt like winners, as we crossed our secret finish line all together.

Ann Johansson has just launched her first BoomBoom Athletica collection, a luxury contemporary activewear brand, in a desire to create kit that suited her running lifestyle and would be functional for other workouts as well. 

www.boomboomathletica.com