Run Norwich

Last year, I volunteered at Run Norwich and was part of the team in the Foundation VIP Area in Chapelfield Gardens, which was great fun! Meeting all the amazing runners inspired me to have a go myself this year, something I hadn’t ever really considered until recently!

I haven’t run properly for 36 years, when I ran a half-marathon in Gloucestershire, in aid of a friend I’d sadly lost to cancer. After running that, I knew the impact that running for a charity can have, so I decided that this year was the time to get back training and give it a go!

I spoke to a few people at the Foundation who had ran Run Norwich in previous years, and they couldn’t have been more supportive. I secured myself a charity place running for the Foundation and begun my training straight away!

I’ve been trying to get plenty of running in in the build-up to the big day! I attend the weekly Race Ready group with Paul Evans at The Nest which I absolutely love. It’s great to see so many people of different ages and backgrounds come together, all united by running. I’ve also been attending Riverside Leisure’s ‘Get to Know the Route’ runs, where we head out onto different parts of the Run Norwich course, so we’re as prepared as possible on the big day!

I’ve done a few runs by myself too and with other running groups. There’s one on a Monday at Sloughbottom Park that I really enjoy although it’s been very hot and dry recently which hasn’t been great for my asthma!

There’s one other running challenge I set myself each week which is a bit strange, but I find really works! Every time I hang an item of washing out on the line, I’ll do a lap of my garden! It sounds crazy, but I think it’s really helped me build up my stamina, as well as keeping my daily step count nice and high.

Why do you think events like run Norwich are so important for local communities?

Events like Run Norwich bring communities together for all the right reasons. It not only helps people with fitness and health but unites people under the same collective goal of crossing that finish line. The camaraderie I saw last year whilst volunteering was like nothing I’d ever seen before – people helping each other over the line, the relentless support of the crowd, the thousands of different stories and reasons for running. It’s simply incredible.

And finally, what’s your ‘why’? Why are you running Run Norwich 2026?

I would say there is three key reasons. My first ‘why’ would be for the Foundation, and for everything they’ve done for Emily, my family and myself. Emily especially is like a different girl since she started attending the Foundation’s Onside sessions, and is now also a member of the Foundation’s Youth Voice Council.

The second reason would be that last June, we lost our seven-year-old grandson Charlie to cancer. I’m running Run Norwich in his memory and I know he’ll be there running with me every step of the way.

The third reason is that I’ll be 70 by the time race day rolls around, and I want to do it for me, to show that I still have what it takes. My life truly has been enriched by running, and I feel the best I’ve felt in years. It’s time to show that I’m determined enough to get across that finish line. I can’t wait!