Side track with Jake Wightman

Jake Wightman has long had a love of coffee. So, the 2022 world 1500m champion and his fellow athlete Zak Seddon set up their own business, Last Rep Coffee, which is the global supplier for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship. In the build-up to Budapest, Wightman sat down to talk about his other working life in a new series, Side Track.

We’re pretty proud of it. We started when I was in Tokyo during the World Championships last year, which probably wasn’t the best timing, but there’s been a lot of good and exciting opportunities in the first year. I think it’s been a lot sooner than expected.

Zak and I planned it for three years and getting the brand right and how we wanted it was the hardest part. We wanted fun and personality and to adapt to what people want – an athlete, team organisations, a meeting, to provide unique opportunities for that. We realised that the real power was coming to an event and creating a space where it feels part of the occasion rather than a separate company. For example, we’ve got bags with beans from Budapest – from local roasters – and merch from the Ultimate Championship but every one has a different story. This one is a story pertinent to me too as I’m trying to get to the championship as well as an athlete. Essentially, we’re a platform to bring people together with coffee and have a good time.

Many athletes have coffee as a big part of their lives. There’s a lot of free time and we meet other athletes and friends, and chatting about anything other than the sport is a nice way to switch off. So, there’s that social element but also a performance association as to why people drink coffee before they train. And we didn’t think there was anything runners could identify with when it came to choosing a coffee brand. Now, there’s a bag on the shelf which is cool, it’s something people can relate to and be part of this little family.

No, not so far. There’s been some opportunities that have been too much of a commitment – we had the chance to go into a physical coffee shop but that’s a step too far at the moment. We know we can supply good coffee beans and cool bags and cups, our baristas are amazing at making good coffee. And there’s a big gap in the market as an athlete going to meets and there being good coffee – we all spend so much time finding a hidden gem. Athletes drink a lot of it and are a bit snobby. This makes life better. We’re not into coffee that alienates people – not really niche beans but really good roasters that everyone likes. Crowd pleasers if you like.

Originally people think it’s us but actually it’s just guys with generic brown hair. It’s identifying with an old school runner, it’s pretty fun. We’ve also got him on a bike and lifting weights. The beauty is that it’s easy to tailor. We’re working with Team Scotland for the Commonwealth Games, too – for that he’s got a tartan kilt. The main aim is not to take ourselves too seriously. It’s about being a bit tongue in cheek and enjoying it. Coffee’s not serious, it’s a social drink for any part of your day.

I actually did a business degree at university, and my first venture into business was recovery tool kits which you clipped on to your bag with a mini foam roller, resistance bands, massage balls. It went well but it was hard to do as the running went better and it had to go on the back burner. I regret not keeping on doing it as I was passionate about it and genuinely believed it would work.

We’re going to be there in the athlete lounges, we’re going to have baristas in the hotels with coffee cups, and each athlete is going to get a custom bag of beans from Budapest and a cup with it as well. We’ll also be in the VIP area of the stadium.

Every athlete will get his or her own bag and a cup within that. We’re using a roaster in Scotland as well.

We’d love to be part of the Olympic experience or Team GB – that would be a huge long-term aim – or things like the Diamond League, London Marathon or, in cycling, part of British Cycling or Ineos. One thing we’ve done is a bag with Alex Yee so we’d like to do more with athletes and be story tellers with that – big athletes with big personalities. We’d just love to bring more people to our brand.

It’s definitely helped. I probably have undiagnosed ADHD as my mind ticks over a lot. I don’t want to think about sport every minute of the day so, when I finish running, I have something I can chuck the same level of commitment and effort into. It’s so cool, I really enjoy it and I think it’s helped.

I think Los Angeles is the end point unless London gets the World Championships in 2029 and then it’d be silly not to carry on for another year. I don’t have a burning desire to do loads before I retire. I still want to run well at major championships and win but I don’t have to do it, these things are just opportunities. This year, there’s some great opportunities with the Commonwealth Games, the European Championships and the Ultimate in Budapest. Racing’s the fun bit.