YES YOU CAN!

Start Running Today - Your Step-By-Step Plan

There are a depressing number of reasons available to stop you from taking those first steps, and just as many to rob you of the confidence to call yourself a runner once you have begun your journey. But we come in all shapes, sizes, speeds, mileages and motivations, so whatever you think is holding you back, the time has come to throw off the shackles. Make no mistake: you are a runner

WHAT HELD ME BACK ‘I’M NOT HEALTHY ENOUGH’

KIMBERLY NUZINGAH BRADLEY, 36

‘I was 28st [178kg] and struggling with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) when my doctor told me to shape up,’ says Bradley. So she started hiking because, as someone with asthma, she told herself she couldn’t be a runner – breathing would be too hard. But when Bradley’s PCOS symptoms and complications (irregular periods, prediabetes, mild depression) continued to bother her despite the exercise, a friend convinced her to train for a 15km race.

‘PCOS can make it hard to lose weight, but having a finish line as the goal reframed my idea of health,’ she says. She ran 15 races in a year and hasn’t stopped.

‘Now that I’m a consistent runner, my menstrual cycle is more regular. And my asthma? I rarely need that inhaler.’

MARLON BARCELONA, 42

In his mid-30s, Barcelona was busy as a husband, father and teacher, but he realised exercise needed to be part of his schedule, too. ‘My weight had reached over 13st [82kg], and I was diagnosed with high blood pressure,’ he says. But he thought his short runs didn't make him a runner – until the day of the bombings at the Boston Marathon in 2013. ‘I knew I needed to honour the lives lost, so I signed up for a tribute run,’ he says. ‘That's when it finally clicked that it didn't matter how far I ran.’

Today, Barcelona mentors new runners at running groups. ‘I remember how I felt when I started, and I want to help people feel confident in their abilities.’

WHAT HELD ME BACK ‘I DON’T RUN THAT FAR’

WHAT HELD ME BACK ‘I HAVE A DISABILITY’ WHAT HELD ME BACK ‘ I DON’T LIKE TO RACE’

DARYL FARLER, 37

‘No feet, no excuses.’ That's what’s emblazoned on Farler’s chest as he competes in races as an amputee. But he wasn’t always a believer: in 2006, a dog scratch led to a life-threatening infection, coma and, eventually, a double lower-leg amputation. The first four years after surgery found him spiralling into depression, but in 2011 Farler became involved in a charity that provides sports prostheses to amputees. ‘I realised I wanted to start looking the part,’ he says. So he ran a 5K for charity and was hooked. He now has several half marathons and a full marathon under his belt. ‘I may be missing my legs, but I’m alive. Running is a powerful way to celebrate that.’

BRIDGET SUTHERLAND, 39

As a mum of four, Sutherland knows a thing or two about time management. The one clock she doesn’t watch? The one on a race course. ‘I ran a marathon as a bucket-list item, but it made me realise I didn’t need a fast finish time to prove I’m a runner,’ she says. ‘As much as I enjoyed the cheering crowds and the five-hour break from chasing my kids, the medal didn’t really matter to me.’ Instead, Sutherland, a dietitian, prefers short runs that she ends feeling healthy and strong. She only signs up to charity events. ‘Still, I like to set a healthy example for my clients and kids. Running is one of the most accessible ways to stay fit, so why wouldn't I do it?’

MARTINUS EVANS, 31

‘If you don't lose weight, you’re going to die.’ Those words were tough for the then 26st [165kg] Evans to hear in 2012, but his doctor’s blunt warning was needed. Evans stepped on a treadmill that day, determined to get through a Couch to 5K programme. But he noticed the stares.

‘It was a mental challenge to keep going when others commented about my size or laughed,’ he says. But the marketing manager kept at it and a year and a half after that doctor’s appointment, he signed up to run 26.2 miles – he finished in 6:46. ‘I realised it didn't matter if someone thought I was too big. All I had to do was put in the work and trust my training.’

WHAT HELD ME BACK ‘I DON’T LOOK LIKE A RUNNER’