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Giant steps

After hearing my mum complain about her weight and foiled fitness attempts for as long as I can remember, I bought her a Fitbit last Christmas. Within a month she was clocking up 10,000 steps a day and walking the local Parkrun every Saturday. That gradually progressed to running, and in June she amazed everyone (including herself ) when she completed a 10K in just over one hour. Mum’s now lost two stone and is training for a 10-mile race. She’s shown that with the right kind of motivation and lots of determination you can achieve anything! I’m so proud of her. Charlotte Jesney, Hull

Happy hasher

Great to see Hash House Harriers in the magazine (RW, Aug), but you could also mention that HHH clubs are non-competitive and open to all abilities, ages and sizes. I’ve been hashing for 20-plus years, have travelled across the world to events and met awesome people. Some of us don’t take our running seriously; we enjoy the social side, the fresh air and sense of achievement. Sally Crook, Cheltenham

Bags of cash

A gym bag for £475? (RW, Aug). You must be having a laugh! Even the cheapest bag featured, at £100, is too expensive. I use an Aldi bag for life to lug my stuff to races. I must be turning into my Yorkshireman dad. Helena Butler, Saddleworth

Winning plan

Thanks for your 10K training guide (RW, June). I followed it exactly and knocked a whole minute off my PB, running 37:45. I even managed to bag my first ever win and had my prize presented by Mara Yamauchi. Steven Mcnicholas, Saffron Walden, Essex

Where’s the fun in the run?

Having recently moved from South Africa, I find the running scene here in the UK quite different and, at times, demoralising. The focus seems to be on speed and time, rather than celebrating the joy of running and sharing the experience of participation. I am one of the last to finish in any race and rather than being elated, I feel awkward and deflated. In South Africa, people only wanted to know what races one had run and not their times. Clearly, priorities here differ. Elizabeth Augustine, Beeston, Nottingham