The Lone Wolf Running Club

I work in a creative field as a fashion designer and textiles lecturer, and have been very lucky to be influenced by some very talented and strong minded women whose thinking has challenged and improved my craft and practice. I have considered myself a feminist for over 20 years and feel strongly that women have a right to equality in all aspects of society, life, work and governance. Yet these human rights and ambitions are too often denied, held down, or diluted to uphold the conventional power structure. This reduces humanity’s shared potential to be inclusive and diverse, and fosters delusions of power and superiority in men. So when I was thinking about running monthly half-marathons and doing it for a higher cause than myself, I focused on an issue that really matters deeply to me and selected Womankind as a charity that takes this issue out to the wider world, and does so boldly and with real conviction and care.

“I focused on an issue that really matters deeply to me”

In addition to Womankind I also wished to support a local charity doing vital grass roots work, so I chose Brighton based RISE, who work tirelessly to support and provide refuge for survivors of domestic abuse.

It’s humbling running for two great causes.

I didn’t initially set out to run 50 half-marathons. I started running

full marathons and in training for them found myself doing half ones quite often. Full marathons were much harder on the body to recover from, so I decided I’d prefer to run happily for 26.5 years than unhappily for 26.5 miles and so made a New Years resolution

to run one a month, every month. Four years later I realised I might actually make 50, so I decided to make it meaningful and find a
good charity cause to support.

Most people who don’t run think I’ve lost my mind or am having some sort of mid-life crisis! Among runners there is a greater awareness of how enjoyable and calming it is, and many runners push their endurance much further than I do. I think balance is important so I chose something hard but never impossible, which also benefited my health. I’m certainly no athlete!

The fundraising is much harder than the running. Some people are very generous and supportive, and connect with the importance of the cause, but it takes a lot of reminding to get most people to get involved and donate. Social networking does make people passive, and a lot of people think liking or sharing a post is enough, when at the end of the day it isn’t. I try to keep positive and keep at it, and post lots of nice pictures. If I had more friends I’d probably raise a lot more!

I’ve learned that a higher cause makes endurance much easier. Running long distance is quite isolating if you don’t run with a club or running partner (which I don’t), so meditating on the importance of those who deserve the benefits of charity support is helpful in making the running easier to endure and more urgent in pace.

I’ve also learned that people sometimes need a lot of persuasion to donate, but when they do they feel connected and a part of the activity/cause. Raising charity funds has also made me a willing donator to other important causes and projects. It’s made me want to be engaged more in the issues and challenges.

Choose something you can enjoy repeatedly, even if it’s a bit painful or exhausting at first. Seven years ago I couldn’t run a tap! I started off by walking fast and slowly built up a tolerance. I think international women’s rights is a cause that a lot of people can believe in if they understand how society works and what happens in different cultures. So get involved, don’t assume someone else will champion this vital cause for you. What you do to promote it really matters, big or small.