Tourist LeMC debutant at Antwerp 10 Miles: “Always cursed because the city is completely fixed that day” (Antwerp)
“I have nothing to do with walking.” That’s what Tourist LeMC wanted to say first. He doesn’t do it wholeheartedly (yet), but nowadays he goes out three times a week in his brand new running shoes. To improve his fitness, to be fitter on the podium of the Lotto Arena in a week and to challenge himself to run 16 kilometers as a non-runner.
What do you have with the AG Antwerp 10 Miles?
Tourist LeMC: “I know that the running event has been around for years, but I am always on the side of the running thing. I’m the one who swears because the city is completely stuck by those tokens. Just like a usual Antwerp lockdown pre-corona. Now I’m going to join in and help take care of that nuisance. So I’m not used to walking in such a crowd, but my running coach says that all those people can perhaps give me an extra push and that it will ensure that I can continue walking in a slipstream way.”
So you never walked until about five weeks ago?
“I always played soccer in my teenage years and now regularly do strength training, right at home. Because of those training sessions, you can still try it with failed attempts. But walking? New. Five weeks ago I started my running workouts in a huge schedule created by a running coach from Energy Lab. The first weeks I was pumped, flat tube† Now things are gradually getting better. In any case, I will be at the start in six weeks.”
With a purpose?
“I want to do better than Bart De Wever’s best time. I very bravely removed that when I had a fitness test taken. The coach looked at me suspiciously. Only then did I look up De Wever’s time. Turns out that in those three months of training I have to go faster than 1h25. So the bar is a lot higher than I thought. But if it doesn’t work, then so be it. The finish must certainly pass, although I have to walk a bit. I would just really like to be in in an honorable time.”
Is there already some form of pleasure in walking?
“I’m starting to suffer a little less on the road now, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to enjoy it. A lot of people say it has to be in your system and your body will eventually ask for it, but I’m definitely not there yet. It becomes a habit. If I have to be somewhere, for a meeting, for example, I take my running clothes and go there for a walk. I also look for new places nearby. In Hoboken, where I live, there are plenty of beautiful green areas in the city to explore. Walking has also become a moment to even go over everything, such as my agenda for example. I think that means less stress.”
You have three young children, a wife, a new record out and two concerts in the Lotto Arena coming up. How past that is not yet on the agenda?
“You would think twice a week would be nothing to even walk three times a week, but it does require an investment of time. You must exist, drink enough and you must not eat too much beforehand. I walk downstairs after taking the men to school from noon when one is in bed. The training sessions are also only going to get longer so you are not used to that yet. My son first wanted to come, but that is not going to work yet. I mainly run.”
“Walking is a completely new world for me. I also went to get running shoes from a specialized store. If I ever went running, I ran on my Air Maxen, I thought that all clouds until I run a real running shoe. I would recommend everyone to buy a good running shoe. I downloaded the Strava running app to record my workouts. It really opens up a new world for me.”
How’s the condition for six weeks?
“I’ve wanted to do something about my fitness for a long time. I play football now and then and in recent years I feel on the field that I am quickly pumped out. It becomes practical and then it almost becomes a struggle for survival. Walking can help with that. I can already feel that things are starting to go a little more smoothly. I hope I will also feel a difference on the stage of the Lotto Arena next weekend. Such a two-hour performance is very demanding. You’re knackered after a show like that. I could sometimes jump for a song, but then I had to hide the next quiet song that I was completely out of breath. Curious about how things will be different now.”
The concerts in the Lotto Arena can finally continue after an uncertain corona Is it even harder for an artist to be on stage again?
“I can’t really complain. I have been spared from really big lockdown problems. My concerts have only been postponed once, that could be worse. We also had a very good summer with quite a few performances. Now we are once again ready to go full throttle and I think everyone is looking forward to it. My last show at the Sportpaleis was almost a variety show with a lot of guests. Now we go for fewer guests, but we make it visually more spectacular. Ticket sales are going well and there are still a few tickets available. I hope people are looking forward to it again after corona. I sometimes wonder all the bad news from Ukraine is going to stop people from celebrating.”
Your wife Marta is from Poland. That way the whole war comes very close to you.
“Marta sympathizes even more with what is going on there. Her country’s neighbor is now under attack, so it’s getting really close. I also follow the news myself. This is easy because nowadays you can consult the entire story in detail online. Like it’s a movie you’re watching. You can follow minute by minute, both politically and strategically. Terrible things, but luckily I even drop them off in time.”
A dad standing in the Sportpaleis of the Lotto Arena, what do the youngest at home think?
“My children can put everything into perspective, just like their daddy. I’m certainly not the big hero at home. My eldest of 6 years, Gabriel, is gradually starting to like what I do. We recently drove past the Sportpaleis on the Ring and he yelled: ‘Look, daddy, your work is here.’ But it doesn’t go much further than that. He is interested in music and says he wants to learn piano one day, trumpet the next. So it’s going to be something. By the way, Gabriel appears on my record for a while No man’s land† in the number Ball At The Foot do you hear him say daddy. The moment I sing I always wake up way too early.”
You still work in the social sector. One day on the stage of the Lotto Arena, the next day at the workplace with the vulnerable. Must be two very different worlds?
“I do night and that still works well in combination with my music. I find it comfortable to keep doing it. I work with vulnerable families who are being cared for. I never like to say exactly where I work because I want to maintain integrity for the people at my job. They are indeed two different lives, but I love it† I grew up in the Seefhoek and have also seen different worlds. That is now part of such a super diverse neighbourhood. Different lives live side by side in the city, that works for me too. I’m on the stage of the Lotto Arena for two days and the day after I’m on my bicycle towards my work. That’s something completely different, but I appreciate that.”