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WhyWeRun

@itswhywerun

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Challenges that change lives.
Purpose beyond yourself. Together as one.
🏃 Wales 250km | 🏔️ Pyrénées | More to come.
↓ Explore WhyWeRun

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🔥 SOME PEOPLE WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHY WE RUN SO FAR.

Because they’ve never had to run that far to find themselves.

They see the miles.
They see the pain.
They see the exhaustion.

But they don’t see what we’re healing.

The battles fought in silence.
The demons left on the trails.
The moments when giving up felt easier than carrying on.

Somewhere between the pain, the solitude and the endless miles…

The noise stops.
The mind settles.
And for the first time in a long time, you feel at peace.

We don’t always run to chase finish lines.

Sometimes we run because it’s the one place we don’t feel lost. 🖤

If you know this feeling, you know.

🔁 Share this with someone who runs for more than medals.

#WhyWeRun #RunningForMentalHealth #UltraRunning #trailrunning

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Thanks running. You’re the best.

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A little late, but happy belated National Coming Out Day! 🏳️‍⚧️

My first day on testosterone

The start of a chapter I’d spent so long waiting for. 💉

My first suit

More than just a suit. It was one of those moments where I started to recognise myself in the mirror.

My first Pride

Finding my people, finding community, and realising I wasn’t alone. 🏳️‍🌈

My first topless beach trip, pre-top surgery

Learning to take up space and feel more comfortable in my own skin, even before surgery.

My first running race

I had absolutely no idea that signing up for a race would lead to all of this. 🏃‍♂️

My first marathon

26.2 miles and the beginning of realising just how much I was capable of.

My top surgery

One of the biggest milestones in my life. A change in my relationship with my body that’s difficult to put into words.

My first Trans Pride

Celebrating trans joy, community and the freedom to be yourself. 💙🏳️‍⚧️

My first ultra marathon

Apparently, running a marathon wasn’t enough. 😂 Turns out I quite like seeing how far I can push myself.

My first hybrid race

Building strength, trying new things and continuing to surprise myself with what my body can do.

My first multi-stage ultra marathon, 250km over five days

I wanted to finish this carousel here because I think it says more than I ever could in words. Being trans doesn’t stop us from achieving big things, succeeding in sport or pushing the limits of what we think we’re capable of.

I’m proud to be a trans athlete, proud of what my body has achieved, and proud to show that we belong in sport, on the start line, at the finish line, and everywhere in between.

Happy belated National Coming Out Day. 🏳️‍⚧️💙

#NationalComingOutDay #TransAthlete #TransJoy

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@tenzing

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September was something else and as always, I am incredibly grateful… let’s have a little recap 👇🏽

The people I get to work with continue to blow me away and inspire me on a personal level too - from an international champion sprinter keeping her body on top form in a busy race season and going on to claim more medals; to an incredible sub-2:40 Berlin Marathon; to someone completing 6 marathons in 5 days at an event that is very close to my heart.

It is awesome seeing comebacks being made, (pain-free) movement being restored, and footballers working on that next win 😂

• Dry Needling/Acupuncture has been added to the repertoire! 🪡 Thank you to @omttraining_official
• I am now a sponsor of a local football club, supporting young kids to engage in sport! ⚽️ @eastendlionsfc
• And I hit some new highs as a business - woohoo! 📈

On a more personal note - I spent a wholesome weekend in the Cotswolds, disconnecting and enjoying nature with old & new friends! ☺️🫶🏼 I’ve spent a lot of the month running and I think I’ve fallen in love with running again… thank god because Valencia Marathon training has officially started, with a new coach by my side - thank you @addets ⏱️
Marathon number 6 here we come! I cannot wait @maratonvalencia

How was your September? What were you proud of? 🧡

#sportsmassage #sportstherapist #remedialtherapy #eastlondonlife #valenciamarathon

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Round up: September got BUSY in the best way…

Physio for @ultra4charity in Albania with the incredible team at @wyld_therapy

Gail Porter’s speech on resilience 👏

@cmsu.k awards with the @blatchfordclinics

I can’t explain this… but it will forever be the most chaotic workout of our lives 😂

Can highly recommend @coach.shaun_ for all your big kids party needs

Back for the magic at @itswhywerun

Thanks to support from @sporttape

If you don’t know about them yet, go find out more about the amazing things @bigmoose.charity are doing for mental health & how they can help people you care about 🫶

The first time Rob has ever put his leg on a wall since amputation 🙏 this was a good day. “Just being able to put my leg on the wall is ridiculous”

The relief this gives his arms & fingers whilst climbing is MASSIVE. & getting to see people explore & test the boundaries with confidence will always be my favourite part of this job 🥹

Return to running post-amputation training course with @ossur_unitedkingdom … very exciting things to come to running soon 🙏

Got FOMO & signed up for a last minute play in the trails ✨

With 3 days notice, I don’t care how well I did, or times! Just so grateful to have a body that can do this 🙏

Down to Birmingham for part 2 of Advanced Rehabilitation training for amputees

Now we rest & re-set 🙏

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I trained harder than I ever have for this.

I sacrificed weekends. I spent afternoons napping. I planned my life around long runs. I used 50km races as training runs. I ate more, rested more and probably talked about running far too much 😂

Months of training all building towards five days, 250km and 6,000m+ of elevation.

And honestly? Every single bit of it was worth it.

Because the training is the hard part, but the event is always the victory lap. And boy, was this a good one.

Five days of running, ridiculous weather, tired legs, questionable decisions and some very big emotions, but also the most incredible people, crew, medics, physios, support and community I could have asked for.

To finish 250km alongside such an amazing group, knowing we were doing it for such an incredible cause, made every painful training run worth it.

I genuinely loved every second of it. Even the bits where I definitely didn’t. 😂

250km done. One hell of a victory lap. 🖤

#WhyWeRun #UltraRunning #BigMoose @itswhywerun

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253km in, there was nothing left to prove and almost nothing left in me and remained was love.

The kind of love that makes you find another step when your body is asking you to stop, the kind that reminds you who you are doing it for when the pain gets loud and the kind that somehow gives you more than you ever thought you would need.

By that final stretch I wasn’t running on strength anymore. I was thinking about my family waiting at the finish, about everything this week had stripped out of me, and everything it had somehow put back in.

Sometimes you have to be pushed beyond what you thought you could carry before you really see what has been carrying you all along.

The noise goes, ego goes, the excuses and you are left with what matters and somewhere in that place, you awaken.

You see the people who hold you up, the purpose that keeps pulling you forward, the life you are lucky enough to return to, and the parts of yourself that only seem to appear when everything else has been taken away and only then do you begin to ascend.

Not because the pain has disappeared but because you finally understand what is worth carrying it for. 253km deep, powered by the love of my family and given more than I ever thought I would need to finish strong.

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4 days in Pembrokeshire, filling bottles, recceing routes, potato roasting, chasing runners and soaking up the magic that is @itswhywerun 🧡

After running WWR last year, coming back as crew gave me a whole new appreciation for the experience. Seeing the highs, lows, vulnerability, chaos, tears, laughter and incredible support from the other side was so special.

Grateful to @gallivanting_gurl for fitting in 4 crazy days with me, and to every single person who let us be part of their journey.

The biggest love to this bunch of absolute legends & a BIG thank you @lewis_robling 🧡

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6 lessons from running a 250km ultramarathon.

There are many more less related to running about doing hard things I’ll share soon.

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I’ve struggled with my own body image for a long time. Basically since getting made redundant and breaking my leg. Twice.

I put on weight, and for the longest time, even recently, I haven’t felt like I’d really shifted any of it.

Every time I saw a picture of myself, I hated it. My head would immediately go, “Come on Cookie, you still need to lose more.”

Then I saw this picture.

Taken by @danbentleyphoto at @itswhywerun .

And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t hate what I saw.

Funny how the person in the photo hasn’t suddenly changed.

Just goes to show, a camera, and your own opinion, only ever tell one side of the story.

Not sure what I’m trying to say here apart from be kind to yourself.

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“I’m not sure if I can do this”

The words I thought when I entered @itswhywerun

And that was the exact reason I entered.

At the start of this year I was in a dark place and training for why we run provided a small amount of light.

It gave me purpose each day, some control and honestly a combination of being with my thoughts but also distraction from them.

When I crossed that finished line I completely broke down in my parent’s arms. All that emotion came bubbling over. Everything I had been battling for the past 8 months brought me to this moment.

Completly vulnerable & emotional in front people 5 days prior were complete strangers.

But I’ve never felt so safe to just relax. To open up. To be me.

I quite like my own space, but I’ve never been so happy to be surrounded by people. Kind people. Supportive people. Loving people.

That’s why I love running. That why I run. Because it feels like a home wherever you are, whoever you’re with.

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