20th Anniversary Blog – Jaz

I joined in May 2007, back when we were Virgin Active Road Runners.

I was a member at the gym at Cardigan Fields and I’d heard a bit of chatter about a social running group. Nothing intimidating. Just people meeting up, heading out together, and coming back with that kind of tired smile you can’t quite explain to anyone who doesn’t run.

So I turned up.

I still remember meeting Kay Jefferies, Vikki Hawkins (King), Nicky Woodward, Mabeth Davies, Helen and Tom Williams. All warm and welcoming. Those early faces are stitched into my memory, because when you are new to running as I was I was fully of apprehension and self doubt and so you notice things. You notice the kindness. You notice who looks back for you. Who checks you’re ok. Who makes space. Who is delighted for all your achievements, whether it’s being able to run a mile or just get out on a cold, wet evening.

My first run route with the club was Kirkstall Hills 17. What a baptism of fire!!!

I mostly walked. But it was fine. No one made me feel foolish, or left me behind. I felt supported and encouraged. It was the first time I understood that a running club is not only about pace. It is about people.

Once a month we’d all go out for something to eat, and that mattered more than I realised at the time. Those meals turned training buddies into friends. You learn about each other’s lives in the ordinary moments, stories, small wins and hard weeks. You start to belong.

My first official race was the Sheffield 10K. Kay and Nicky took such care of me. I finished in 1:18, on a glorious day, and I felt like I’d done something huge. That race photo is still one of my favourites, not because I look like an athlete, but because I look so happy, proud and confident.

Running with HPH also got me to the start line of something that became a whole new adventure. The fi rst parkrun, Woodhouse Moor parkrun. I was there on the start line on 6 October 2007, and I had no idea what I was stepping into. Not just a run, but a community that would grow and ripple out in ways none of us could have predicted. Truth be told I didn’t really love running- it hurt and I ached but I bloody loved the people. It took me nearly 18 months to run a 5k without stopping, keeping in mind it was all for the post parkrun breakfast!

Anyway back to HPH. We moved away from Virgin Active to The Edge (can’t remember exactly when) and I’m proud too that I played my part in developing the HPH club through managing the merchandise, dealing with suppliers, selecting a range of clothing, making sure the colour was right, the quality felt right, that when you pulled on that red and white you felt part of something. Because sometimes confidence starts with the smallest things, a club vest (I pushed for having a t-shirt too), a familiar face, someone shouting your name as you round a corner.

And then there was 2013, being drawn out for a London Marathon place, something I never thought I would experience. It still makes me smile. The second half with Clare Mason, the pain, the man in a rhinoceros suit who passed us at the last mile and somehow , I crossed the finish line.

These days, I don’t get to run with HPH on a Tuesday anymore. The very busy streets of Leeds city centre feel too stressful for me now. The club has grown so much, and it is genuinely wonderful to see. But I will always be a proud HPH in my red and white, because once you’ve been held by a group like that, it stays with you.

My friendship circle has grown because of this club. And as I write this, I’m also remembering the friends we have lost. Their names, their voices, the way they showed up.

Running teaches you many things, but one of the hardest is that time keeps moving. We do not get to keep everyone. We only get to carry them, in stories, in routes, in quiet moments when the legs are turning and the heart is full.

So thank you, to everyone who has been a part of my running journey. Your encouragement and friendship has been significant and inspiring. You helped me start when I didn’t quite believe I belonged. You helped me keep going when I doubted myself. You helped turn something I tried once into something that shaped my life.

Because running is so much more than the act.

It is choosing to begin, again and again.

It is learning that progress is not always fast, but it can still be real.

It is finding out that strength looks like many things, sometimes a sprint finish, sometimes a steady walk up a hill, sometimes simply turning up when you’d rather stay home.

It is community, in motion.

Ain’t no barriers for Hyde Park Harriers.