Undercover runner finds confidence to stride out

People can sign up now at www.greatgrimsby10k.com for just £17 or £15 for affiliated running club members.

In the latest of our series of inspiring stories from people who love to run, local mum Sarah Smith, 42, from Caistor, shares her experience. Sarah said:

“I started running in 2014 after reading a book called Mum on the Run. It’s a fictional story about a mum in her late thirties with three kids who starts to run. Being a mum myself I identified with the character and it inspired me to start running. Before that, fitness really wasn’t a part of my life, but now I run regularly and feel great because of it.

She added:

“When I first started running I was really self-conscious. I didn’t want my neighbours or anyone I knew seeing me so I drove out of my way to run where I couldn’t be recognised and I also ran in the dark. As you can imagine this was really inconvenient and I was spending almost as much time driving as I was running! It took a bit of courage but I tackled my fears and started running closer to home. Anxieties like this only get worse the more you feed them so I’m glad I challenged myself to run at home because now I run with colleagues and other mums and love it.”

Sarah said:

“I know getting started can seem daunting for people who are not sure what pace to go at or what a smart starting goal is. I would recommend the Couch to 5k which is a little programme that guides you from no exercise to being able to do a 5k run or jog in 9 weeks. I soon went above and beyond, being able to comfortably do 5k and then more and more. In 2015 I signed up for my first race. It was a 5k colour run and based on my previous practices I expected to finish in 40 minutes. I was so pleased when I ran it in 37 minutes. I think I was in a different headspace because it was a race and I have now run my 5k in under 30 minutes.”

Sarah has encouraged other people to start running, she said:

“I started a group with other mums and over time more mums have joined. It’s only small but it’s nice to run with people you can relate to and feel a part of the group. I have gained a lot of confidence through running and encourage other people to join in. Running is the most straight forward way of getting into fitness and of course it does great things for your emotional wellbeing. I get a great feeling of satisfaction seeing my improvements each month and I’m now running more than 42km in a month which is the equivalent distance to a marathon.

She added:

“People who don’t have exercise in their schedule might think it would be difficult to fit in running or turn it into a regular habit. I find that running is good ‘me time’. If you don’t think about it as a chore but a favour you are doing yourself it comes more easily. I would say start small, a ten or fifteen minute light jog is all it takes and of course, pace yourself.”

Sarah explained how she has challenged herself to do other races, too:

“So far I have done every Grimsby 10k as well as the Brigg 10k and last year I did the Woodhall Spa and Lincoln races for the first time. Out of all the races I have to say the atmosphere at the Grimsby 10k is amazing. The party in the park after the race is great fun; I always treat myself to an ice lolly. There is a great buzz and it’s wonderful to see so many people from the community out to support the runners and the kids having fun on the climbing wall. I really look forward to the race goodies at the end. I have lots of shirts to prove my successful races and a medal hanger which is getting pretty heavy! There are lots of reasons to start running, all of them are good. Completing a 10k is a huge success so good luck to all the runners of the Grimsby 10k this year.”

The 2019 Ørsted Great Grimsby 10K takes place on Sunday 21 July 2019 and starts at 10am outside Grimsby Town Hall.

Entries are filling up fast so anyone who would like to run is encouraged to sign up at www.greatgrimsby10k.com quickly.

Runners can look forward to the race goodies which include a medal and a race t-shirt. During the race runners can refuel at water, sweet and sponge stations.

Race director Nicola Pattison, from organisers Tape2Tape, said:

“We are seeing more and more people entering the race and are so excited for this year. The streets come alive on race day with everyone out on the streets cheering on the runners as well as getting food and playing games in the park afterwards. The race is enjoyed by people of all abilities, some people walk it, some do it with their family, we have some people with sticks and wheelchairs and some people in costumes. The 1k Fun Run is equally as good so make sure to sign up and bring your kids if you think it’s something you would enjoy. We hope you have as much fun running it as we do putting it on.”

Last year’s Ørsted Great Grimsby 10K helped raise around £15,000 directly for the seven charities from race entries, fundraiser places and other initiatives.

A £1 donation is made from every race entry into a fund shared between the event’s charity partners – Harbour Place, RNLI, Marie Curie, St Andrew’s Hospice, Grimsby Rotary Club, The Health Tree Foundation and Inspire TCI.

The total amount raised for charity is believed to be much higher after the many people taking part on behalf of charities are taken into account.

Hundreds of volunteering opportunities are also created for local people making the Ørsted Great Grimsby 10k much more than a race. Volunteers can sign up at www.tape2tape.co.uk/volunteer.

Entry fees are kept low in comparison to other race events thanks to the generosity of the sponsors.

There’s is also a 1k Family Fun run that starts and finishes under the same arches as the main race.

You can follow the Ørsted Great Grimsby 10k using #GY10K on social media for news and race photos:

Facebook: Tape2TapeEvents

Instagram: @tape2tapeuk

Twitter: @Tape2TapeEvents