Dedicated Run Leaders
All our run leaders are qualified with England Athletics and every run is led by one or more of the leaders. England Athletics provides qualified Run Leaders with insurance cover that includes being able to cater for runners aged 12 years old and above. Any Run Leader holding a LiRF qualification will not be insured for runners under 12 years of age.
They have all completed or are about to complete their Leadership In Running Fitness (LiRF) course and are all 1st Aid trained, DBS checked and have completed safeguarding training.
Unfortunately, Dame Kelly Holmes is not one of our leaders but did visit our group in 2018 and run with us for her #joininjune campaign and it was amazing!!
Danielle Harris
I can put on a pair of trainers and just go - I need nothing more! Simple and uncomplicated. I’m just relying on my body and at the same time improving both my mental and physical health .
Being outside in all seasons makes me feel connected to the world and nature. No matter how bad my day has been I know that if I go for a run, especially with MVR, my day will always get better.
Sometimes I love to run on my own and just clear my mind, almost like meditating. Other times I love, and need, the social aspect of being with others. MVR has enabled me to meet some fabulous people.
Running helps to de-stress me and expel any anxiety I might have. Running has helped me cope with some really difficult times that may otherwise have broken me.
Bob Searle
Having excelled at cross-country running at school, I quit the sport at 16 when it was no longer mandatory. I didn’t run again until I was 49. Then a couple of friends invited me to join them on a casual run near Norbury Park. Soon after I entered a 3k fun run in Leatherhead followed by the 8-mile breakfast run in Kingston and I was hooked!
My enjoyment of running hit new heights in October 2019 when I joined Mole Valley Runners and started to run with a great group of people on Monday and Thursday mornings and Tuesday evenings. I then started to join the park runs on Saturdays and before long I was running half-marathons and even the London Marathon!
The benefits of running can sometimes come as a surprise. I remember running through a railway station with heavy luggage to catch a train and, as soon as I boarded the train, my breathing immediately returned to normal. What happened to all that gasping and panting that I used to do? Also, I seem to have a lot of energy, I eat well without gaining weight and I sleep like a log. Not bad returns for such an easily affordable and accessible sport.
Nina Belk
For several years I had dipped in out of running, always giving it a go when I wanted to shed a few pounds but never keeping it up. However, two years ago a friend encouraged me to take it up more regularly and I ended up giving a half marathon a bash. That's when I discovered how much running not only improves your physical health but your mental wellbeing too. Whether it's heading out to clear your head, de-stress or have a chat it was a revelation. Running was now something that I loved to do! I'm not the fastest and I don't sign up to lots of events but what I love is getting out there with a lovely bunch of people every week, come rain or shine! I have explored more of our beautiful countryside than I ever would have had I not taken that step to join Mole Valley Runners.
Jo Woods
If anyone had suggested to me, aged 18, that over 30 years later I would be running marathons, I'd have died laughing - at school one of my best years was the year I got out of PE totally! But in my twenties, I decided that if I wanted to eat cake at the rate I do, I was going to need to do more than take fitness and weight for granted. So I started to run - very slowly and for very short distances. Over the years, I got a bit better and went longer and then I started to be challenged by friends to do more. I'm not very good at saying no, so here I am now with even an ultra done. Oddly, I still don't really see myself as a runner, I still see the teenage girl who wasn't very active. One side effect of running, that I never expected, is that it would help me with anxiety and mental health issues.
I joined MVR because I wanted to be part of a group again, rather than be a solitary plodder. It took a while of being on Facebook and watching the mad achievements of some, before, at a very wet Surrey Hills Challenge, three years ago, I actually was brave enough to say hello! Then MVR FOMO starts to take over... Seeing what an amazing job the run leaders do and how much time commitment it can take, I decided to become a run leader so that I can help out. I love seeing new folks on the runs and often challenging them to do a little bit more than they think they can and seeing how good they feel when they do.
Lucinda Lighting
My love and enjoyment for running started at school, progressing to joining Sutton & Epsom Harriers and has steadily increased, with the occasional hiatus, all my life. Now happily and easily I run a half marathon most months, clocking up on average around 100km a month running around the glorious Surrey Hills and countryside.
New to the area in June 2018 I joined MVR and immediately loved the welcoming, friendly and non-competitive atmosphere. If I fancy a long steady, or a short fast run there is always someone to hook up with. Running with the group has opened new friendship circles, got me trying new sports and activities and got me out and about exploring my new surroundings.
Running is so good for your health and soul I really could not be without it in my life!
Alison Jackson
I have never been sporty and despite the odd attempt to take up running I was heading for 40 and a couch potato. Then dad was the latest member of his family to have serious heart surgery, it was the wake up call I needed. Not knowing how to start I’d jog from one lamppost to the next then walk to the next, run etc. Eventually I got round the block and a friend and I entered the Race for Life. My running fate was sealed when I decided I had to do a marathon before 40 and, failing to get in to London, I headed out to Berlin. By now I was hooked and running became my therapy time. Then I met someone who recommended Mole Valley Runners. Watching on Facebook I saw how supportive and pro-active the club was and eventually took the leap to come out for a run with the club - just as lockdown 2020 hit! The support and encouragement I got from what were strangers at the time was beyond my comprehension. MVR have at their very heart inclusivity and support, and I’m hooked!
Since joining MVR, with their support, I completed the virtual London Marathon and was encouraged to set 2021 as my challenge year. Again with the encouragement and support of MVR I have virtually run the South West Coast Path, and took on my first Ultra Marathon, Goring Gap 50k. I have run the hugely challenging North Downs Way Marathon and will be running the Shere 42k Marathon as an MVR team.
Becky Copus
I began running properly back in 2013 whilst living in Colchester, Essex. I joined West Mersea Hash Harriers - for those who know hashing is an ex-pat activity where you run to a pre-set sawdust trail which has lots of false trails and by exploring and calling to the rest of the group, each member is kept together regardless of ability. It’s great fun!
I quickly found that running in a hashing group allowed me to explore around Colchester and out towards the coast. I got to see lots of places I’ve never been to before. The club also tended to set routes from a pub - so we would socialise afterwards. Around the same time, I also started Parkrun - if you visit Colchester, have a go at some Parkrun tourism as you get to run around the historic castle and grounds.
Running for me is about three things:
- The challenges: anything goes e.g. better form than last time, hillier route or quicker segment.
- The outdoors: the scenery you can immerse yourself in, capture via a quick snap and the fresh air.
- The people: sharing jokes, how your day / week’s gone or just talking routes, races and kit!
In 2015, I joined a group of Adventurers in a field in Surrey after a summer of camp outs and walking. This is when I met Elise Downing, author of Coasting, and heard of her challenge to run the coast of the UK. Around the same time, I met out of the blue, a friend I’d worked with on the Isle of Wight years before; she, along with some other friends we met over that weekend, were keen to run with Elise from Emsworth back to my university town, Portsmouth. The 16 very windy miles ruined me, as I’d only ever run 10km at most! By the end, although smiling away, my right leg wasn’t happy at all.
A year or so later when I was considering my own challenge - I opted for cycling, not running, in Canada and a route from Winnipeg city to Halifax on the east coast over just over 4 weeks and a friend's wedding on route! Having not ridden a bike since university, it was a challenge - cycling solo 80-120km each day. A great challenge.
Just before I flew off to Canada, I relocated back to Surrey as I was starting a new job in September. I spent the following year or so in the gym trying to get run fit again, as I had lingering sciatica that just wouldn’t go away following my coastal run. Never up your run mileage that quickly! I would try to run on and off with mixed results. Physio and sticking with group PT and spinning helped over time.
I joined MVRs in June 2019 and did my first half in April 2020. I love the club as it really does welcome all. In 2020, I was aiming to run 12 half marathons, but the pandemic scuppered this. I’ve just re-started this challenge and have also been running for each of the full moons each month. I love running - it’s food for the soul. I hope to see you on a run soon.
Carrie Anne Ratcliff
I took up running in 2014. I’d never been a runner and hated PE in high school, but, mostly inspired by my dad who had transformed himself through running a couple of years prior, I started a couch to 5k and at that point in time something clicked.
A couple of months after taking up running I did my first 10k, the Greenwich Park MoRun (what I then thought was a hilly race – living in the Surrey Hills I now know better!) I was hooked and in October 2015 I did my first marathon in Frankfurt, Germany. I was living in London at the time and it was a few years before I joined a running club – the East End Road Runners based in West Ham which really helped advance my running. The prospect of joining a club had sounded too scary, serious, or something along those lines. But, similarly to MVR, the club had a really nice friendly ethos and welcomed runners of all abilities.
I moved to Surrey in summer 2021 and quickly joined MVR. The club has been very welcoming and has been such a great way to meet people and make friends – something that isn’t always easy as an adult. For anyone else thinking of joining a running club, however new to running you might be, I highly recommend MVR as a club. I’ve also loved getting involved as a run leader and can usually be found helping out on Wednesday evenings.
Since moving to Surrey, I have learned the true meaning of the word hilly, learned the joys of trail running and run my first ultra (the North Downs Ridge 50k). I also took up canicross in January 2023 with my golden retriever, Henry. Running has given me so much and I’m looking forward to lots more running adventures in the future.
Gideon Stanley
My running story started at secondary school. When it was too wet to play rugby, we did cross country. It was a simple out and back course along the tow path of the River Weaver, Run to the second set of locks. Cross over the river and run back. If it had rained so much that the rugby pitches were water-logged you can imagine what the path was like! At least we had our studded rugby boots to run in for grip! From memory the route was about 5 miles long and my best was to come in 5th. But this was a long time before Garmin watches and GPS.
We did track running sessions in PE lessons. I was not a sprinter but I was okay at middle distance and my highlight was coming first in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m races on Sports Day when I just turned 14. I got picked to run for school and competed in County trails - without much success.
Running continued to be something I did on a regular basis without ever taking it too seriously. Whether running through the woods near my parent’s home or running on Christmas Day morning with my sisters – which became a tradition for many years in our family.
Then I moved to London for Uni and running took a back seat for a while. I started running again after Uni and had a simple route. Run from my flat and along the River Lea. The goal was to run fast for 10 minutes – turn around and then get home in under 10 minutes. This evolved to run to the distant second set of locks in under 10 minutes then still get home with a negative split. Eventually I made it but it was tough going.
The first senior race I took part in was a 5k run around Battersea Park. It was sponsored by Morgan Chase Bank and at the time was a really popular event. All I remember was it being really busy as we jostled our way around the looping course, It became so busy that after a few years it became an event staged over two evenings.
In my early 30s I became conscious that I had put on some weight - being weighed on the Jocky Scales at Epsom Race course at a Corporate event was the turning point. How much? Seriously?
I knew I needed to lose some weight and I figured regular running was the way to go. By now we were living in Bookham and so I vowed to run every Sunday for a year. I started running from Home to Norbury with a lap around the field by Roaring House Farm. The first time it took about 45 minutes. So being a competitive person I challenged myself to be able to run the circuit in under 35 minutes. It took a while but I got there. Then I got curious. Could I run up from home to Ranmore Common? I surprised myself with what was possible and before I knew it I was not only running to Ranmore but I was exploring the miles of footpaths and bridleways that can be found in the Surrey Hills.
I’ve continued to run at least once a week, often more, and have kept going for the past 26 years, pausing only for injuries. I’ve encouraged friends and family to take up running. Competed in so many races that I lost count and set some pretty good PBs in my prime from 5k to marathon distance. I always pack my running shoes when I’m travelling – especially on holiday – as it’s such a great way to explore new destinations.
Joining Mole Valley Runners has given me a renewed purpose in my running. I love the variety of trails you come across in the Surrey Hills and it’s great to learn new routes from other Run Leaders and share some of my favourites with my fellow runners.
I’m not planning on hanging up my trainers anytime soon, so I look forward to running with you on the trails and paths we have right on our doorstep.
Sally Scothern
I never ran at school and never imagined I would become a runner. That all changed when I signed up for the London Marathon to raise money for Cancer Research after losing my beloved mum. I started with Couch to 5K and never looked back. I think my mum would be amazed that, 20 years later, I’m still running.
What I love most about running is the freedom it gives you: you can run anywhere, at any time, all you need is a pair of trainers and off you go. I also enjoy running to explore unfamiliar places, whether I’m travelling in the UK or abroad.
I joined MVR fairly early on but only came occasionally at first. When I decided to commit more seriously to running, I started attending regularly and now run most Thursday mornings with the group. I really value the social side of the club and find it a great source of motivation. I try to run a few races each year to keep me focused, and my favourite is the Bacchus Half Marathon at Denbies, I love the fancy dress, and the wine is not bad either!
A number of our committee members are also run leaders.