What is your history with sports and athletics?
At age 47, I wanted to get fit & lose weight so I joined local slimming club. A couple of friends I made suggested doing sports relief as a group so we joined a beginners running group at a local club.
I started slowly and could only run a lap of a tennis court but by the end of the12 week course we were running 5k and went on to complete our 10k! I loved it and started to do park runs every Saturday and also became a full member of my local run club.
Regular training I was loving and our coach said I should train for a marathon. I didn’t believe I could because I spent such a short time running and thought only athletes could do this!
I started doing more 10k races, then half marathons then I was lucky to get into London Marathon for PHAB charity which meant a lot as I have an autistic son! Less than a year after I started running I was standing on the start line of The London Marathon 2017, which was something I had only watched on tv. I was nervous but had worked hard with lots of support and completed it in 4hrs 33 mins which I was so happy with! I also raised £3,800 for the charity!
After this I signed up for more marathons and then got into trail running. I absolutely loved this the freedom, nature & exploring got me hooked. I started doing trail marathons and then in 2018 done my first ultra marathon 32 miles it was hard and I learnt a lot from it and what I could do better. So in January 2019 I ran my 2nd ultra 48 miles which again was tough in the pouring rain and dark but loved the people and the event and completed it in 11 hrs.
My love for trails and challenging myself grew and I signed up for Endure24 a 24hr trail race completing as many laps as you can! I didn’t have a total in mind just wanted to see what I could achieve & went on to complete 65 miles with 50 mins sleep!! This is my biggest distance to date!!
Now 2022 I’m going to be 53 I’ve completed more ultras and this year I’m doing Endure24 again hoping to complete 100 miles!!
I love sharing my runs on social media showing the beautiful trails where I live but also encouraging other runners and giving advice and support where I can.
Running is a way of clearing my thoughts and resetting as life with an autistic child is tough I am also a teaching assistant in a special needs school.
Looking forward to many more years running and more challenges & adventures.
I was also offered a place to run with Dame Kelly Holmes on her charity group in Malawi unfortunately I injured myself a month before flying out!!
Keep on running Anita, don’t stop. Tq for your story.