PBs/Best performances
800m – 2.29
1500m – 4:37
3000m – 10:06
5000m – 17.02
5k – 16.22
5miles – 28:12
10k – 34:34
10 miles – 60:22
Half Marathon – 80.31
Lincolnshire XC Champion 2018, 2019
North Midlands XC league Champion 2019
2nd Midlands XC Championships 2020
This morning I opened the curtains to a cloudy, cooler but not too windy morning. Some people would have looked out the window and thought what a dull day, But, my first thought was what a perfect day for a run.
So Hi, on this perfect day, I’m Cloe. I’m a middle-distance runner for Newark Athletics Club and have been since I was 11 But let’s go back to the start!
Originally, I was a swimmer for the Lincoln Vulcans but as I reached my teenage years (grumpy) the 5am starts weren’t really my cup of tea. Instead I dropped back to the social group and went on a hunt for another sport. Year 7 PE Cross country was an eye opener, dressed in a thick long sleeve rugby top, football shorts and yes, a pair of football boots. We ran around the fields of Welborn, jumping ditches, hopping fences and running through the mud. I went home that evening full of it, I had finally found something that I enjoyed, and I was good at.
Not long after I went along to my first athletics session at Newark AC. This instantly turned into every Tuesday evening and most Saturday mornings (which was a more reasonable time for all) I was coached by Stuart Colledge, who would go on to coach me for many years.
I was definitely more of a cross country runner. I didn’t like sports hall mini athletics!! I just couldn’t get the hang of the turn ramps. For a couple of years, I continued training and competed in club competitions. Then, a few years down the line my Auntie who is a keen runner herself came to visit and took me on a small off-road loop around the area, which would kickstart my enthusiasm to training independently in between club sessions. This time to myself not only improved my running but also was a great relief though the stress of secondary and college education.
Just before uni, 2012! Newark AC were selected to put together a team of volunteers to be Games Makers for the London Olympics. We camped in a rugby field a short journey from the Olympic park and our role was to carry the athletes’ kits. Standing there behind an athlete on the start line is quite an experience. The noise, the lights, the atmosphere, in that brief moment is one of the most inspiring things I have ever done. If that one moment in time doesn’t motivate, nothing will. Who wouldn’t dream of being the other side of that kit!
In 2013 I moved up north to study Fashion Design at Northumbria University and unlike some people going to uni wasn’t an exciting chapter of my running career. Fashion was a little demanding and the tutors didn’t always approve of a heavy training schedule getting in the way of fashion. However, nothing was going to stop me, I squeezed in training when and wherever I could and even joined Gateshead Harriers. Throughout my uni years I picked up my fair share of niggles and injuries which in the end left me in a bit of a rut and I lost all my motivation and direction. My auntie put me in touch with an old coach she knew, Ian Wilson. Ian saw my struggles took me under his wing and got me back on my feet. For the first time I could recall I now had a detailed individual training plan. This plan highlighted the importance of recovery and listening to your body. This key change in my training was the first big turning point in all I’d dreamed of in running. At this point my times massively improved and I began moving up the national rankings. Things were moving in the right direction.
Today I am running with the Newark Area Endurance Group put together by Bill Taylor after persuasion from Becky Gallop. The group is made up of dedicated aspirational athletes from a variety of clubs of all similar paces. This group pushes us and gives us the opportunity to develop and strengthen the core within. With the encouragement of the endurance group and the individual coaching from Bill my running expectations have launched to the next level. I now train with purpose and run more miles than I ever thought my legs could handle.
I had a bit of a break though run of 34.34 to come second in the Lincoln 10K last Spring. After that the work in progress updating some of my track PB’s through the Summer, followed by good XC races BC (before Corona), have made me a much more confident runner than 2 years ago. I really enjoy the thrill of competition whatever the surface.
Lock down has been a strange time and as it comes to an end it’s been bittersweet to me. It’s been hard not to train with the group and miss out on the summer season. Being furloughed from work however for 3 months has enabled me to train like a full-time athlete. It’s like a dream to be able to train, eat and sleep at the right time of the day. My body has never been so grateful.
The new and improved me is coming out of lockdown motivated, stronger and hopefully just a little bit faster. The future is uncertain but I’m looking forward to it.