The Year in Running- A Review

and my hopes for 2025

As 2024 comes to an end, I’ve been reflecting on the year’s most pivotal moments for me personally and professionally. This year I’ve really stepped out of my comfort zone, and I’m pleased to say I didn’t combust! In fact, writing on Substack has become part of my weekly routine. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to tell me how much they enjoy them, it never goes unappreciated!

A friend recently asked me how I keep going as most weeks I run 6 days a week, sometimes twice a day as I juggle leading sessions and fitting in my own training, I’ll be honest sometimes it’s really hard- I know this year my running has suffered, more so than it ever has in the past. The emotional turmoil of the year has impacted me physically and at times, I’ve struggled to find the simple joy of running. Luckily, I knew it would pass if I gave myself a bit of time and surrounded myself with people who made me feel safe, and I trusted to that. So thank you to those of you reading who let me tag along on your weekend runs, you know who you are.

I carry on because, fortunately or unfortunately, the fire in my belly just refuses to go out. I continue to feel the injustice of how women and girls are denied access to sport, to running- because I know that running can transform lives, giving people lifelong tools such as resilience, courage, self-belief and a sense of belonging.

So I will continue to work, gathering research, endeavouring to make it relatable to the “average, middle-aged individual” so that running can become accessible to all and I’m very excited about my new RunVerity Beginner’s course starting in January, I’ve enjoyed putting it together with the focus on lifelong running.

And as I gather the research, my heart sinks as I realise barriers still exist (more specifically for women but of course not exclusively) that make it harder for people to progress and fully embrace all of the benefits that sport can bring.

This year I’ve particularly noticed the lack of entries to races, for me and my club members, personally, I’ve only run a few races in the last 12 months whereas in the past our club has had successful “Race of the Month” events with a great turnout.

So what’s happened? - strict cut off times, exclusive marketing focusing on the “fast/elite” end, limited images of runners of all backgrounds, sizes, colour and ability, high entry costs, lack of toilets, lack of logistic information,……

And these barriers are real, I recently spoke to a runner who said she’d turned up to her (well trained for) race event but was completely overwhelmed with the amount of people, lack of information or direction of where everything was, that she went home!

Don’t get me started on the lack of toilets, and I will be specific here, lack of female only toilets, and even more disappointing when the race event supports She.Races guidelines purporting to providing more female toilets. It’s a “at last!” moment, only to be met with the disappointment of the same long line of mixed queues and men’s urinals. Do better race events!

Add to this the already eye watering entry fee to races now has shot up, with the average price of a half marathon now near enough £50, that’s a lot of money, especially if you and your partner are runners, and then consider some sub-standard provisions for the average runner.

My final word on this, race t-shirts, unisex? You mean men’s! PLEASE design kit that fits women, too. Runners are literally talking with their feet and not entering races.

Every autumn I talk about the frustrations that women feel running in the dark, how we must change our behaviour, not go out after dark, like children with a curfew who need to be kept safe. And every year I reiterate that it doesn’t have to be dark for runners to be heckled, catcalled, harassed, passed comment on…

But women change their behaviour as the clocks go back……

🌃 72% of women change their outdoor activity routines during winter

📈 This is an increase from 46% of women last year, showing a rise in safety concerns

😔 49% of girls say they feel unsafe exercising in their local park, any time of the year.

I love running in the dark with my running group, mainly because I feel I’m doing something I shouldn’t be doing, like a child breaking curfew!

I know that this substack might be a bit disappointing, it’s not a review of the last year, of what has been achieved (or not), or the highs and lows of the year, it’s me getting on my soap box again, writing about the barriers to sport, but, I read a comment recently that I couldn’t shake,

“I don’t want to be inspired by stories of how people have climbed over barriers, how they’ve overcome difficulties to achieve their goal. I’d rather read about achievements without any barriers, I mean, can you imagine what could be achieved if we didn’t have ANY barriers to overcome?”

I know I probably wouldn’t be as tired as I am, (no it isn’t because I run too much or I’m getting older!) I’d rather just be able to run ANYWHERE on my own, have race t-shirts that fit, a sports bra that doesn’t make me look like I’ve got a “mono-boob”, and I’d rather not waste my time writing emails to race directors about unacceptable comments from marshals, or how the event ran out of water, or clearing up the water stations…..(there’s quite a long list) I’d much rather be clapping and cheering the last runner in, than yet again (eye roll) argue with race directors who open roads before the last person comes through.

But, with all this said, it is an exciting time for women in sport as we enter 2025- at last relevant and actually inclusive research is (although still a trickle) starting to be published and distributed into the mainstream.

Female safeguarding policies are being put in place (shout out to Ourea Events who brief athletes and volunteers about what’s acceptable behaviour prior to a race event). This win is twofold, people are unaware of what they’re doing and the impact that it might have on future participation in races and, with these policies in place, women are speaking up and are being listened to and their concerns taken seriously.

I’m proud of the safe community RunVerity provides and of all the achievements that members have made over this year. I will continue to attempt to break down barriers, I’ll still write the emails and I’m sure I’ll still bore anyone who will listen to death when things aren’t right. Onwards!

Hope you’re all enjoying a brilliant Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Love,

Verity x