My fell running journey started fairly recently. I'm from Yorkshire and think I had a very vague awareness that fell running existed but was never involved in it. I hated PE at school and although running was the only thing I was fairly good at, I never pursued it. I can't remember what prompted me to start running when I was older but did my first road race (10km) in 2011/2012 then a yearly 10km race until 2019. However, sporadic road running and a yearly race was the extent of it! I did spend time in the outdoors when I was younger, walking in the local moors and woodlands with my family, though I was never sporty or did anything very adventurous.
It wasn't until moving to Cardiff that I started connecting more with the outdoors. After seeing a news article about a beginners fell running course for women in early 2020, I signed up the next day! I loved the course and immediately afterwards I joined the WFRA and the FRA (the fell running body for England). Later in the year, I did a Mountain Skills course at the national outdoor centre Plas y Brenin in Eryri, another pivotal moment for me where I learnt to navigate and push myself beyond what I thought I was capable of.
I did a couple of local races (falling flat on my face in the first one, and having to delay the start of the second one because I forgot to change my shoes!) in early 2021 but it wasn't until the summer that I joined fell running club Mynyddwyr de Cymru (MDC). My first club run was a big loop up Pen y Fan. I was at the back, finding it hard, and happened to be the only woman out for the run that evening - but I was hooked. I've run with MDC ever since and love all the local races. I have also increasingly got involved with the WFRA. I'm a climate change researcher so started out offering my skills in a new position of Environmental Officer, then was part of a Women in Fell Running Working Group before taking on the role of Secretary. I'm really proud to support fell running in Wales and the Borders - both on a personal level through taking part in, and helping out with, races as well as on an official level through the WFRA.
Contact Briony (Secretary) for: Anything related to the WFRA and for all general enquiries. My door is always open so I encourage any WFRA members to reach out to me via email or in person with thoughts, suggestions, queries, things to celebrate or issues that you want to raise.
Photo: Tosh K Simpkin