My passion for running has grown slowly over the years. What started as something purely motivated by keeping fit has shifted to being how I explore landscapes, boost my mental health and share experiences with friends.  In my younger life I dabbled with running a little but never felt inspired by tarmac beneath my feet. I did it because I thought I should, not because I wanted to. In 2009 I moved to Edinburgh; a city full of trails. Suddenly the possibility to take running off road was on my doorstep and my relationship with running took off. Lunch time runs took me into the heart of Holyrood Park, putting on my trainers was a means to get away from the business of city life.  My first official ‘event’ was the result of friendly peer pressure from colleagues. The Edinburgh Marathon 10km started from our workplace and I wasn’t left much choice but to enter. I’m not one to do things by halves and so I got a training plan and put in the miles. I was surprised by how I enjoyed the structure of training and even more surprised that I came in well ahead of all my colleagues.  In the following years I was a regular participant at trail and mountain running events in the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and Scotland.  I especially enjoyed competing in multi-day events, a highlight was coming first for my category in the Great Lakeland 3-Day mountain marathon.   The last organised race I ran was the Ring of Steall Skyline, which at 5 months post-partum was quite the challenge! Since moving to the Highlands, I have been more drawn to solo endurance running over technical terrain and big mountain routes. In 2023 I completed a solo Tranter round, a mountain circuit taking in 18 Munros, over 6000m ascent and 60km of wild, technical and pathless terrain. Making it onto the top 10 female FKT’s for this route is one of my proudest achievements.  Alongside running I am an experienced rock climber and mountaineer and my love for mountains spills over into my work as a Mountain Leader year-round in the Scottish Highlands. Prior to working as a guide, I spent over 15 years in education and leadership roles and bring a lot of this experience to my guiding. I especially love helping people gain new skills and confidence to fuel their own adventures. Running through the mountains is one of my greatest joys and I can’t wait to help others to access wild places in this way.

I entered the world of endurance sports when I stumbled upon triathlon in my early teenage years. Many subsequent years spent as one of the slower members on the swim team, and not quite the fastest runner or cyclist in my cohort, honed my ability to dig deep. I applied this across a broad spectrum of pursuits including marathon kayaking, trail running, and mountaineering until I eventually found somewhere where this ability held currency; the Army.  Six years of service as an officer in The Rifles taught me many leadership, discipline and practical skills that greatly enrich my time in the mountains, and help me get the best out of those that I train with. During this period I represented the army at the London marathon, cementing running as a sport that I would continue to compete in throughout my time in the military, and discovered climbing through a mutual friend. Climbing unlocked the mountains for me, allowing me access to the insanely cool places that, as a runner, I had only previously been able to admire from below. In 2021, when leaving the Army, I decided to take a sabbatical, move to the Highlands with my partner, and fully indulge my passion for running and climbing by training to race the Glen Coe Skyline.  The experience of racing along those exposed ridges was everything I hoped it would be. I was hooked and I’ve been racing regularly since, racking up podiums in skyrunning and mountain running events around the UK, culminating in winning the 2023 UK and Ireland Skyrunning Series. These days I’m often accompanied on the hill by my 2 year old daughter, I love that this has taught me to slow down a little and focus on the mountains that I’m so lucky to spend my time in. Her fascination has reignited in me a desire to learn more about our environment, so expect me to note down any interesting plant facts!