The Women’s Mini Marathon: ‘I don’t go out and compete. I go and enjoy every moment — I feel I can achieve anything’

There’s no feeling like crossing that finish line but like many, Jennifer Fay didn’t know if running was for her. Now she helps others find that joy with the Sheriff Street Running Club, writes Saoirse Hanley

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, as the evenings grow brighter, dozens of women in Dublin’s north inner city will take to the streets. The Sheriff Street Running Club has begun training for the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon.

Their usual 5km distance will start climbing over the next few weeks to reach the full 10km in time for the June 2 race date. Their leader each night is Jennifer Fay (34), who set up the club as the smoke was clearing after lockdown.

Jennifer’s route to becoming a runner started as many do: with a walk.

“I had seen a thing on Facebook about a walk and a run that was happening in Tolka Park to raise money for spina bifida and hydrocephalus,” she says. “My daughter, Rosie, was born with hydrocephalus, so we got the whole family involved. I had Rosie in the pram and I walked but as we got to the finish line, I took her out and she crossed the finish line with myself. I just got a feeling, like, this is amazing.”

Speaking to the organiser on the day, she voiced wanting to start running but said that she didn’t feel like she would be able to do it. He told her to at least try, to go out and attempt a slow jog and see what happened. For weeks, Jennifer couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“I eventually got up one evening. It was very dark and I was like, no one would be seeing me, so I’ll go out and I’ll try. I just ran around the block. I found it tough but I went out a couple of nights and I kept trying, and things were getting a little bit easier. Before I knew it, I did my first 5k,” she remembers.

That 5km turned into an entire marathon, which then became a 50km challenge that Jennifer managed to complete.

“I absolutely loved every minute,” she says. “I don’t go out and compete or run fast. I go out and I enjoy every single moment of every kilometre. It was that day that I knew— that’s it, I can do anything.”

Community

When a friend fell ill, Jennifer was approached to take her place in helping out with a walkto-jog programme that was being launched in the area. “I was like, ‘Oh God, I couldn’t take that on. I wouldn’t even know what to do’,” she laughs.

“I had said it to a couple of the neighbours and stuff and people were already down on themselves — it was like there was a black cloud over the area because we were trying to come out of Covid. So I said, ‘Listen, I’ll do it. I’m going to see how we get on’.”

People in the area took to it so well that it became a permanent fixture.

When it came to setting up the club, Jennifer and the committee wanted it to be something that could represent the community well. “Sheriff Street is an area that’s known for drugs and gangland, and I said, you know what, no better time to bring the name out there. So we set up the Sheriff Street Running Club, and it was amazing,” she says. “It kicked off great. We started to go to other people’s events, and we were getting slagged, it was like, ‘Here’s the Sheriff Street crew, zip up your pockets’. But eventually, the club name got across so many places.” The club was featured on Operation Transformation, which let people who weren’t from the area get a look in at what the community was like, which in turn led to others signing up. “I wanted it to be a club where people can comfortably come out for an hour, twice a week, feel comfortable, make new friends — no pressure on anybody to run certain distances, just to make them feel good about themselves. Now we have some 45 women in the club at the minute, the youngest is 19, and the oldest is 67,” she says.

Taking part

The self-doubt that almost stopped Jennifer herself from getting started is echoed in so many new and prospective members.

“I have had many women and men come to me and say, ‘I am not running’. The first thing is, it’s in everybody. Everyone has it in them to run, to jog, even. Just believe in yourself. That’s it. Once you have that belief, you can achieve anything,” she says.

They say comparison is the thief of joy, and it has no place in athletics either, Jennifer says. She recently posed a question to some new members: “I run 50km, you’re running 5km, who do you think is better?”

“They said, ‘You are, you run 50.’ No, I’m not better than you. You are not better than me. I said, ‘We are here to better ourselves’. Every single one of us,” she explains.

“I always say to never ever compare yourself to someone else because you’ve already lost.”

Jennifer has had to contend with a lot over the years: her mother was diagnosed with cancer and is in treatment; she suffered a ligament injury that threatened to stop her from running the Dublin marathon; and on top of that, she is a mother to two and voluntarily keeps the club running. It has taught her a great deal about her own ability and what it takes to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

“Not every run is going to be great. But if you put your mind to something, you can really achieve it. And that’s what I say to my members all the time. It’s all about the mind and the mindset that you have, going out there on a run,” she says.

Thankfully, when it comes to race day on June 2, Jennifer believes that getting into a positive mindset comes with the territory.

“The Women’s Mini Marathon is probably one of the best races, runs, or events that I’ve ever done. Because every woman there is just incredible.”

The Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon takes place on June 2 in Dublin. You can enter at vhiwomensminimarathon.ie