Story added: 23rd March 2016

Tracy Barlow, the inaugural Run Norwich female winner, talks race glory, sacrifices, and representing England…

“Run Norwich was the first time I had visited Norwich, and Norfolk for that matter,” admits Tracy Barlow.

“Marathons are my main event and I was looking around at potential 10kms that would fit in with my running schedule. A friend, who lives in Norfolk, emailed me about Run Norwich and I decided to enter.”

The 30-year-old certainly made an impression on her first visit to the city, scooping first prize in the women’s race.

Tracy’s time of 35:46, saw her finish a whole 48 seconds in front of second placed Sarah Stradling, and an impressive 18th overall.

The Thames Valley Harrier describes the 10K as ‘one of the best’ she’s ever taken part in, not to mention the fact that it doubled up as a great whistle-stop tour of Norwich’s city centre sights.

Incredibly, Run Norwich was just one part of a training session that day for Tracy.

“I often use a race as the basis of a training run and will train right up to the start. It does mean you start feeling tired but it also makes you work harder than you would do if you were just doing a training run. That way you can get more out of it.”

“I ran a few miles before the race and then another 10 miles or so with a friend down Marriott’s Way after.”

At a slower pace and without the Run Norwich trophy presumably? “Yes!” she laughs. “Thankfully, the Forum had some large lockers in which I could store the trophy, otherwise I don’t know what I would have done!

“I do remember getting a few funny looks on the train home that afternoon, carrying this huge trophy with me!”

Despite her pedigree as one of England’s top long-distance runners, she wasn’t anticipating to win.

“I have never been the first female in a road race before so the whole experience was brilliant. As I was running round, many of the crowd were shouting that I was the leading lady.

“Being interviewed after the race, the presentation ceremony with Jake Humphrey and David James – it was all so surreal.  Nothing could beat the amazing feeling crossing the finishing line and it being announced I was the first female.”

Having not had the opportunity to train in Norwich before, Tracy’s race plan was to run hard and attack from the start.

“I had seen two other girls go ahead of me towards the start of the race but we had all set off pretty quick so I kept relaxed and knew that I needed to keep them in sight but not blow up.

“When we all settled, I managed to overtake the girls. I wasn’t sure how close they were to me for the rest of the race but my aim was to keep chasing the person in front. I managed to catch a few guys up near the end which was a good feeling.

“I was preparing for a sprint finish but when I had a quick glance back at the turn onto Forum Plain I saw I was clear for the win.”

As a marathon runner, Tracy prefers road running to track running as there are more things to focus on such as the next corner or runner to catch.

“I’m not keen on running round in lots of circles, so getting out and seeing some sights helps take my mind off how tired I am or how much things hurt. It does get more crowded on the road but you learn to read what other runners are going to do and see gaps opening up for you to aim for. It’s a bit like driving, you have to be aware of what others are doing around you, not just what you’re doing.”

Shortly after her Run Norwich victory, Tracy was selected as part of the England Athletics team to take part in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon.

“Being selected to represent your country is a very special moment. Flying out with the team and wearing our England tracksuits on the plane made me realise it was actually happening. The experience of going into the holding area before the race with the other elites felt a bit surreal. I had to keep my focus and try not to get distracted by what others were doing in terms of warming up and preparation.”

A terrific performance not only saw her finish 13th in the women’s race but also achieve a top 10 time for a UK runner that year, yet Tracy was a bit disappointed by her performance.

“I was hoping for a quicker time, to be honest. On race day, the temperature was -1 degrees to begin with and it didn’t warm up. I suffer with the cold so I couldn’t get warm. It was very much a mental battle to keep going.”

“However, wearing an England vest to run the marathon in was a fantastic feeling and running in the elite race is something I will never forget.”

For Tracy, much of the focus after Run Norwich was on training for the marathon. Once that was over, she allowed herself a two-week break before working on her strength throughout the winter months.

A move to Winchester, where her training group is based, saw some fresh challenges to conquer largely down to her new surroundings.

“I had a few issues (minor injuries) from the amount of hills I was now running up and down, and also from not stretching enough. Once I sorted this out I was able to increase my training intensity and I began to see improvements in my times and running pace.”

With endurance athletes often improving with age, at 30-years-old Tracy feels she is getting close to the form of her life.

“I believe I am only starting to scratch the surface of what I can achieve. My coach is very good at ensuring my training pushes me and works on the areas I am not strong in. I feel I am starting to turn a corner with my running too as I have finally been able to put into place what I need to continue to improve, such as being near to my coach and training group.”

Training for Tracy, when at the peak of preparing for a marathon, involves 85-90 miles of running per week.  She covers this over 11 sessions per week – morning and evening on five days, with Friday off and Sunday as a long run day.

“When I’m not marathon training I still train between nine or ten times per week but the intensity of the sessions are reduced and the weekly mileage is around 60. If I have an important race coming up then I tend to taper for it a little so the few days leading up to it I back off the intense training sessions.”

Maintaining this gruelling schedule means that Tracy has had to make a number of sacrifices. Juggling her intensive training schedule with her career as a nurse was proving difficult, but she has addressed her work/life balance to focus more on her running.

“Over the past few years I have moved more towards a 9-5 based job and have recently gone part time – when I was doing shift work, it was difficult to fit in the training. My training now takes priority over my work and social life. Most of my friends are also runners so I tend to combine running with my social life, or at least they understand that arranging a social event generally goes around training.”

Having run last year, does she have any training tips for her fellow runners?

“I would suggest getting practice in on training on hilly routes and carrying out their longer runs over this kind of elevation – the Norwich route is not flat, by any stretch of the imagination. By practising on hills with tired legs it will help simulate how you will feel during the race.”

Race weekend preparation is key, too, even if it is understated.  She recommends relaxing and enjoying a simple dinner of pasta, while sticking to something you’re familiar with for the race day breakfast.

Already this year, the signs are good that Tracy will carry on her superb form from last year. She recently finished second in the Bath Half Marathon, notching a PB time of 74:25, which currently stands as the fastest time this year-to-date by a female athlete in the UK.

She was quick off the mark to enter Run Norwich 2016, so will be one of up to 5,000 on the start line come August 7.

“The organisation of the event was second to none and the crowd support was brilliant. I am looking forward to coming back and hopefully being able to defend my title.”

Profile – Tracy Barlow

Age: 30

Birthplace: Blackpool

Current city: Winchester

Profession:  Nurse

Running career highlights: Representing England in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Current athletics club: Thames Valley Harriers & Winchester

10km career PB: 35:14 (2015)