Meet Some of our Members

My introduction to running was following a drunken wager on Millenium Eve where I was challenged to run the London marathon. Until then I was always a bit of a couch potato, however, I am never one to go back on my word and in the following dark days of January I started my initiation into the delights and tribulations of becoming a runner.
Being a retailer with a busy health shop and therapy centre as well as having a family, I don't get much time to myself. However, I always scheduled in my running sessions as I soon realised how much I enjoyed the freedom of putting on a pair of running shoes and being able to go wherever I fancied, and also how much better I felt in myself. I also found that, although I was never going to be a fast runner, I also enjoyed running in local races. My first was a race for life 5km which I felt that I was never going to finish and progressed to the Garden City 10 mile in the autumn where I first met some of the Fairlands Valley Spartans. Until then I always dismissed joining a club as I thought it would be elitist and only for 'good' runners. It was only after I spoke with  Dave Stephenson, a club coach, who really encouraged me to go along to the club, that I decided to try it out. Since then I have tried to run with the club twice a week and now have got my husband Mark addicted to running too. I have always found the club friendly and encouraging for whatever targets I am aiming for and I always find someone of my own standard to run with. Although I quite often don't feel like going to the training sessions, I always feel better once I've been. It is also a great way of keeping fit and active which is just what a health store retailer should be! In case you are wondering, I did manage, via the club ballot, to do my first London marathon in 2002 in 4 hours 34 minutes - I didn't manage to outrun all the rhinos, giraffes and clowns but I did finish ahead of Frank Bruno which was a great enough achievement for me!

I joined the Spartans shortly after doing a triathlon in 2004, as I enjoyed the running and thought I would like to improve at this and keep myself fit. As a cricketer, who ran, I Initially turned up in tracksuit bottoms and a jumper but realised pretty quickly I looked a little bit out of place! Over time I have trained harder and got more competitive with my running and with that my times have considerably improved. I try to race in as many local races as I can up as well as training for one marathon a year. I like nothing better than doing a PB or now a negative split which are terms I had never heard of 3 years ago!. I play lots of cricket too for Reed Cricket Club which reduces the training I do in the summer. My race strategy used to be as run as fast as I could for 80% of the race and then try to hold on the for rest of the race however recently I have been trying to start slower and ensure I have something left at the end which has seen an improvement still in my times. I would recommend any runner of any ability to join the Spartans, it is such a good club for anybody of any ability in the Stevenage area to either go for a nice social jog, to get fitter or improve times in races.

I have been with Spartans for about two years now and love belonging to the club. When I first joined it was purely to run with a group in the evening over the dark winter months as I wasn't keen running on my own at night. However as time went by and I got to know the club members more my confidence increased and I found myself entering into some of the league races that the club are involved in (though there was never any pressure from the club to do so) which gave me something to work towards with my training.  I have found everyone at the club to be very friendly and I really look forward to the various training sessions I attend (even on a cold winters night) and catching up with friends. There are always plenty of coaches on hand to offer you support, advice and encouragement no matter what your ability is. Since joining Spartans my running has certainly improved and is now a very important part of my life as is the club.  I also recently took on the role of 'social event organiser' for the members.

My marathon career started back in 1984 with the 1st Stevenage Marathon. I then joined Fairland Valley Spartans in April 1985 and have since been an active member of the club, taking on the role of Club Secretary, Chairman and President and am now a Life Member.  I am also into my 4th year as Chairman of the 100 Marathon Club and am a level 2 Coach, level 3 official and qualified Race Scrutineer.

Always preferring to race than train, by the end of 2007, I had completed 1143 events including 433 marathons. 2007 was in fact my most prolific racing year yet, with 43 marathons & 3 ultras within a total of 71 events for the year.  Although I consider myself a very ordinary runner, I have some quite respectable PB's. These are sometime ago now, but age grading means I can still match the past when considering age, and am edging ever closer to picking up prizes as I approach my 60th birthday in June this year.

It's my tenacity to chase goals that others only dream of, which has brought me the most recognition. This includes 5 nominations for the Local Comet Sports Awards, winning once in 2005 as "Sportsman of the Year" after running a marathon in all 7 continents that year.  Back in the 90's, a chance meeting at a pre-race campfire in Michigan, saw me set off to become the 1st Brit to complete a marathon in all 50 States of America. Obviously not a short term goal, but I finally achieved this in December 2007 with the Honolulu Marathon.

Other marathon highlights include Everest (the highest at 17000ft), Antarctica (at 62 south the most Southerly organised marathon), Spitzbergen (at 78 north, the most Northerly road marathon) & Fin Del Mundo (at 54 south, the most southerly road marathon). Back in 1996 I completed my 100th 10 mile race, 100th half marathon and 100th marathon in successive weeks. I also claim to have taken part in the largest race of all time at the famous Comrades Marathon in South Africa, back in 2000. With 20047 officially finishing the 87.3km course, that's the equivalent of 41476 marathons!

So what's next? At my current rate, I should reach 500 marathons towards the end of 2009, and having spotted a triple at Lake Tahoe, California, that could mean 498, 499 & 500 coming on successive days!