Run Britain Day 44: Perranporth to Porthcothan

I am not a very experienced trail runner. I run on a lot of trails in Suffolk, but they’re flat and easy. They’re actually so flat and easy, I was able to do all my road marathon training on them (in trail shoes) and still run a decent time.

But trail running in Cornwall is a different game. It is brutal and hilly and very technical. I have felt my confidence pick up massively over the last couple of weeks, especially when I am joined by runners far more experienced than me.

Today, for the first time, I was joined by a whole group of these brilliant runners. And, they were all girls.

I really am not much of a feminist. I’ve never been one to bang the drum for ‘girl power’ and I’ve never really seen the point in all girl events. But I must admit, it was really nice to share the trails this morning with such an impressive group of women.

Not many women get much publicity for taking on major challenges like this. Today, we talked about why that might be - perhaps we’re not so good at broadcasting what we’re doing, or maybe there is a safety element (some of my friends have expressed concern about me and my tracker and the ease with which people can find me at the moment). We also think that perhaps girls aren’t very at promoting each other’s achievements. I definitely feel a sense of competitiveness - that’s why I very rarely submit a ParkRun time.

Whatever the reason, it’s a shame. There are so many impressive women in Britain who run massive distances and take on big challenges and so many younger girls to inspire.

When I was at school (an all girls school), we had a few visits from different adventurers or athletes and nearly all of them were men. Definitely inspiring, but perhaps not as relatable to a young girl.

Running 25km with five incredibly good female trail runners today has given me more fire to get my own story out there. And to do more to celebrate the amazing female trail runners and adventurers that we have in Britain.