Personal best: Ex-footballer gets Shinfield up and running
A FORMER Wokingham footballer has swapped matchdays for marathons in an effort to keep his community healthy, writes Ji-Min Lee.
James Suarez is the proud founder of Shinfield Running Club (SRC), a free-to-join community of mixedability runners.
Mr Suarez enjoyed a successful career on Berkshire’s football circuit but struggled to maintain an active lifestyle after hanging up his boots in 2018.
“For me, the penny really dropped when I retired. I was just eating and eating and eating, and even put on 16 stone,” he explained.
“I was spiralling out of control, which had a negative impact on my mental health. I decided that something had to change.”
This was Mr Suarez’s cue to revisit long-distance running, a discipline he was introduced to as a child.
“I had always run as a kid, my dad was a runner himself,” he said.
“Running was perfect because you can just do it when you want or have time. It’s not like football when you have to organise training.”
Mr Suarez quickly caught the running bug, but in doing so, identified an opportunity to give back to the community.
The father of three set up SRC, citing two key motivations: “Firstly, I wanted to include a sort of team aspect, I guess that came from my football days. You’d have the Whatsapp notifications pinging every other minute with banter flying around.”
“Second, to get people from the community out running regardless of ability. For us, it was all about creating something accessible and free, that was the whole concept.”
SRC’s first session involved a 30-minute run between six people. The club now boasts an active membership of over 300 runners.
Despite its rapid growth, SRC has remained free to join, largely thanks to the help of local sponsors.
“The club is supported by Shinfield Village Barbershop and Shinfield View Care Home,” Mr Suarez explained.
“The support means that we can stay free and operate safely, making sure that every run is insured.”
The open-to-all club has become a focal point for the community, offering both athletic and social opportunities.
“It’s had a massive impact on the community. It’s been fantastic to see so many people getting active,” Mr Suarez said.
“Loads of friendships have been made, we’ve even had people getting married.”
“It was particularly important during the pandemic when people were in desperate need of something to keep them active.”
While in lockdown, Mr Suarez hosted a series of Instagram
Live Q&As, featuring established personalities from British athletics.
“The Lives were a good way to keep people connected,” he explained.
“It was also a good opportunity for viewers, and myself, to gain knowledge, getting insight from all sorts of people to do with athletics, not just marathon runners. We had physios, ultra runners and field eventers.”
Mr Suarez now helps runners achieve their personal goals, coaching over 200 individuals through Suarez Running School.
“From couch to 5k to competitive marathon runners, I organise specific training regimes that’s tailored to the individual and their goals,” he explained.
“99% of the time they achieve what it is that they set out to do.”
Establishing SRC and the running school has only fuelled Mr Suarez’s own training further, having shaved almost an hour and a half off his marathon time in six years.
“I started out doing a 4 hour 15 minute marathon at the London marathon in 2016,” he said. “I recently ran a 2 hour 58 minute marathon at the Boston UK Marathon, so it’s a huge chunk that I’ve taken off.”
Mr Suarez had a clear message to those who may be hesitant to try running.
“Just try it once,” he said. “It only takes one run to discover that you enjoy it and two weeks to make it a habit. It can change your life, running is the best natural medicine we have.”