People we admire - #1 Cecilia Boström (The Baboon Show)

We are inspired by people with a can-do attitude, people that have the courage to show us different paths. Like Cecilia Boström – mother, punk rock singer and long distance runner. 

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Hoarse, distorted and somewhat defiant. Somewhere between melody and noise, this unmistakable voice drills into the ear: “Oddball I am, can't deny it. I'm running into the wild…” It is loud, wild, full of never-ending energy: “Yeah, you know me. I never say goodnight.”

This voice has come to stay – and it belongs to Cecilia Boström, who is the charismatic singer of Swedish Punk Rock Band “The Baboon Show”. And, yes, she never seems to sleep. She loves life on tour, is a guest singer with numerous other bands, an active feminist (Sisterhood Worldwide) and has started a podcast (Girl in a Band) with bandmate Frida Ståhl.

But that's not all yet, Cecilia also is a mother of two sons - and a pretty ambitious runner: “It’s something I have to do. If I don’t get to move, I get very unpleasant, so it’s necessary for me. I would say that running makes me feel free and weightless, and when I run, I don’t think of anything and can really be in the moment. It’s like medicine for body and soul. Ahhh! Also, what I really love about it is that I can do it anywhere and anytime. And that’s just great when you travel a lot like I do with my band.”

What does a day in the varied and busy life of Cecilia look like?  

“I guess my day looks like most parents, haha". Dropping off and picking up the kids, preparing dinner, homework, activities, friends – parents will know, what she talks about. “So, in order to get my exercise, I bike and run quite a lot everywhere I go, instead of taking the bus or the underground. And 1-2 nights a week I try to go trail running or do intervals together with this running group I’m in. So, I guess I don’t reserve that much time for my training, I rather try to fit it in to my daily routine. And that’s kind of necessary because my husband is also into running and other sports. It’s the only thing we fight about, who can go out run at night when the kids are sleeping. Hahahah.”

Despite the rather difficult training conditions, Cecilia has an impressive marathon PB of 3:39 hrs. It appears as if what she does, she does with body and soul.

“Well, I guess you could call me competitive, yes…. Maybe it’s not my most charming feature, but I can’t really help it. I did of course train for the marathon, but not as much as I was hoping for. I have quite good physique, so I’m rather strong and fast even if I don’t train that much. I’m satisfied with my pace and before the marathon I said I would do it under 3:45. Although my secret goal was to do it sub-3:30… so compared to that, I didn’t really reach my goal…. Hopefully next time!“

Right now, Cecilia and The Baboon Show are touring Europe (don’t miss the chance to join a concert. Their show will blow you away. Promise). And she still tries to squeeze in some runs:

“I do! I try to go for a run every second day or so. But on tour I don’t really care about pace or distance. Here, my focus is the show we’re gonna do, and admittedly, it’s not that easy to go running in a city you don’t know.”

However, exploring foreign grounds and being away from home is in Cecilia’s blood,

“Of course I miss my family and my children while on tour, but it’s not a big issue. I mean, this is and was my life since before me and my husband got kids, and I never considered changing it just because we became parents. My kids know, I love them, and they have a great father! And sometimes they come on tour with me. My oldest, Juno, loves being on tour, and he thinks it’s exciting with the nightliner, the venues, the shows, and being backstage. I’m lucky to have such a loving and supporting family.”

In fact, the Boström-boys might have grown naturally into the rock ’n roll lifestyle, as Cecilia still went touring when she was pregnant. Some people may think that these two worlds should not belong together. Maybe just as little as punk and endurance sports.

Well, we actually love her for exactly that!

Because for us, the daily dose of motivation comes from music and endurance sport. Is there anything, punk rock and running have in common for Cecilia?

“I think so, yes. I would say music is more intense, but I also get adrenaline kicks from running. And both things are expressive and allow me to be totally in the moment.”

How is it possible to combine these two worlds?

“I always listened to music while running, but I stopped doing it since a couple of years. Now I listen to podcasts, or I just enjoy the silence. There’s so much noise and sound everywhere, so I think it’s nice to rest from all of that for a while and just listen to nothing but my own breath. But if I listen to music, I prefer something hard and with distinct beats. Two of my fav running-bands are Paper and Masshysteri (both Swedish).”

As if all this wasn't inspiration enough, Cecilia says goodbye – not goodnight – with words that just underline why we admire her:

“Be kind, be inspirational and treat people the same way you wish to get treated.”  

Check our Spotify playlist to listen to Cecilia's music and discover some other Swedish punk rock bands:

Cecilia Boström (The Baboon Show) is the first person of our People we Admire Blog. Please also check the other stories and great people Fe226 talked to.

Also check out our running playlists loaded with punk rock and other motivational music - and made to improve your run by finding a good rhythm around 180 rpm. The rhythm most world class runners are used to run in.