An Interview with… Jake Oates

Here at Your Money Claim, we’ve been following a young trio as they prepare for their 24 hour walk back to Deepdale Stadium in Preston from the Britannia Stadium in Stoke.

Boss man in the office, Danny Lee sat down for a chat with our very own Head of Online Marketing, Jake Oates, who is also doing the walk with Tom and Jamie to get his thoughts on the phenomenal challenge that faces the lads.

Danny Lee: Greetings Jake! So, tell us a little bit about yourself, where you come from and what it is you do here at Your Money Claim?

Jake Oates: Hi Danny! Well, my name is Jake and I’m from just outside of Preston, I live in a little village called Walmer Bridge. I’ve been here at Your Money Claim since the start of June and I’m Head of Online Marketing which means I’m in charge of all things internet in the office.

DL: So, whose idea was it, out of the three of you doing the walk that decided to take on such a gargantuan challenge?

JO: Well, it was more of a group decision to be honest. I was the one who suggested we make it an endurance event which I’m not starting to regret a little bit.

DL: Okay, let’s talk about the training you’ve all been doing. Has it gone well, could it have gone better do you think?

JO: We’ve all done bits of training here and there but I don’t think we’ve gotten to where we could have been right now. We’re at the point of no return now though, we’ll have to do our best with the training that we’ve done.

DL: So, on that note it seems only right to ask; to what extent do you think all three of you will finish the 67 miles?

JO: I’ve absolutely no doubt that we’ll complete the 67 miles however, my only concern is that there’s a high chance that we’ll end up lost somewhere along the route and also, I’m dubious as to whether we’ll complete it within the 24 hour time frame.

DL: So, it’s safe to say this is going to be a very tough challenge. Looking back, what would you say is the most challenging you’ve ever done and how do you think this walk will compare to that?

JO: Without question, the toughest thing I’ve ever done was the Preston Guild half marathon in 2012. The weather was absolutely atrocious and the whole thing was absolutely terrible. This walk though, is equivalent to three and a bit marathons so I’ve no doubt that this will be much, much tougher.

DL: So, what was it that made you decide to start raising money for the Katy Holmes Trust?

JO: Well, the Katy Holmes Trust is a charity that is local to the three of us who are doing the walk and we thought we’d like to keep things as local as possible and that’s how we decided we would do something for a charity that was closer to home.

DL: Interesting, it’s good to see you’re raising money for a local cause. If you were to pick one person from the three of you who you felt would be most likely to struggle during the walk, who would it be and why?

JO: It would have to be either myself or Jamie. When I get tired I begin to act like a petulant little child and get annoyed at the littlest of things. I don’t have a reason for thinking Jamie over Tom, I just have a hunch.

DL: Haha, well it’s up to Jamie to prove you and your hunch wrong then! So, provided all goes well, how do you hope to celebrate  successfully completing the walk?

JO: After walking for that amount of time, the first thing I’ll do when I get home is to jump straight in the shower and then, depending on the time either go straight to my bed for a celebratory sleep or get a decent meal in me and then have a good sleep!

DL: Sounds like a plan after a walk of that magnitude! So, if you weren’t in online marketing, what other job would you most like to do?

JO: Well, my absolute dream job would be to manage Preston North End Football Club. They’re the team I’ve supported since I was about 4 or 5 years old. Failing that, it would probably be something to do with sport and writing. Maybe a sports journalist for a big publication.

DL: So, apart from football, which it seems you like a lot, what other things do yo enjoy?

JO: Well, I enjoy writing and even more so I enjoy writing about football. I enjoy going running and I am a member of a local running club and I also coach an under 9s football team. I’m also partial to the odd night with the two idiots whom I’m doing the walk with. A few beers and games of FIFA on the PlayStation always go down well with us.

DL: Jake, thanks for your time, I’ll let you get back on to doing whatever it is you do on the internet all day. All the best with the walk and we’ll be making a donation very soon too. If you haven’t made a donation and would like to, you can make a donation here.

24 Hour Walkathon