'Women's running club offers pure escapism'

On a drizzly morning in Stannington Park in north-west Sheffield, a dozen women in brightly coloured sports clothes are limbering up on the wet grass. Despite the persistent rain, the group are in high spirits with lots of laughter and plenty of teasing.

This is Stride Out Stannington, a women's running group who are celebrating their 10th birthday.

My presence has come with a warning.

"There'll be a lot of perimenopause chat," says Claire Brown, laughing.

The 46-year-old founded the group after taking on a charity Tough Mudder endurance race "without any training".

"I felt very broken afterwards," she says.

"So I signed up for a Couch to 5k at the original Stride Out group."

The Stride Out club first sprang up in Wisewood in 2011.

Brown says her group was the brainchild of "two mums dropping their kids off at gymnastics and sat waiting for an hour doing nothing so deciding to go for a run".

Brown herself was invited to become a "club leader" and run a new "non-competitive" group in Stannington aimed at "community-based fitness".

Ten years later, she is adamant community remains the most important thing about the club, with the running seen as an "added extra".

The group now boasts about 50 members.

As we slip and slide across muddy fields and along woodland trail paths through the Rivelin Valley, members are keen to tell me how the group has helped them all individually.

Nurse Fiona Sanders was 46 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"I don't think I would have got through it without my running group," she says.

Although radiotherapy left her exhausted, she was determined to keep running to aid her recovery.

"I used to cry before I set off sometimes but we'd hug and the endorphins from the run would kick in," she says.

"You can open up easier when you're not looking directly at somebody but running alongside them."

Alison Fox, 48, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes while at university.

"I just keep going. I'm very determined. I'm always at the back, but I always turn up every Friday," she says.

"They always look after me and check I'm OK."

Three years ago, the mum-of-two had a leg break after a collision with a dog when out running.

"It's been a slow journey back," she says.

"I couldn't do it without these ladies. I'm so fortunate to have them. We've been through some tough times with all of us but it's been brilliant."

Amy Everett, 36, is the current chair of Stride Out Stannington.

She leads our group for a scenic four miles through the woods.

"Tree root!" is a regular warning shouted out, she explains.

The group meet weekly on Friday mornings and cater for all paces and levels of experience. A special Couch to 5k training plan is offered to beginners too.

As well as Stannington and Wisewood, Stride Out groups have also formed in Crookes, Stocksbridge and Woodhouse.

Today there is time to stop "for a breather" next to the natural Rivelin plunge pool - though no members of the club are venturing into the waters today.

"We do it in the summer though," Everett points out.

"Though it is a bit chafey running back."

The civil servant, who originally joined the group because she "didn't know anyone" in the area, says it's "brilliant" that many other all-female groups are forming in Sheffield.

"I think we do offer something maybe slightly different to some of the other groups that can be quite pace-focused or maybe they'll only do three miles, whereas we can offer three, four and five-mile groups.

"We're definitely not on TikTok either," she laughs.

At 73, Maggie Carey is one of the oldest members of the club.

She ran the London Marathon in 1987 and despite cartilage issues, a knee support and a recent foot operation, is determined not to slow down.

"I don't chase PBs anymore but I did seven 10ks for my 70th and I have another half marathon in me," she says.

"When I had my foot operation, the consultant said to me, 'I'm going to tell you now, you need to stop running, but you're going to totally ignore me aren't you?'"

Reflecting on her group, she smiles and says: "If you're going through a bad patch they're here for you, they're just wonderful women, all of them."

As the group pause to take in the scenery, the chair reflects on our surroundings.

"We're only 100 metres away from the road," Everett says.

"You can't hear a single car.

"You can't see any technology, it's just the water, and the rocks, and it's escape. It's proper escapism."

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