My Latest Work
Been putting off your first cervical screening test? Here's what mine was like from start to finish
Last November, when the NHS reported that five million women weren’t up to date with cervical screening, I was one of them. But, better late than never, last month, I attended my first cervical screening appointment – and it was far less scary than I had expected.Another reminder you’re officially in your mid-twenties? The NHS letter inviting you to your first cervical screening appointment. Ugh.The report mentioned above found that the lowest uptake of the procedure was among women aged betwee...
Everything you need to know about the Jurassic Coast Challenge
With a range of distances on offer, The Jurassic Coast Challenge has something for every runner and walker – from The Bridport 10K loop up to the 100km ultra from Corfe Castle to Bridport. No matter which challenge you choose, there will be no shortage of stunning scenery, with every route reflecting just how beautiful the Jurassic Coast really is.Taking place on – as the name would suggest – the Jurassic Coast, the Jurassic Coast Challenge is an annual event which sees runners and walkers take...
Your ultimate guide to the Marathon des Sables
Taking place in the southern Moroccan Sahara – the largest hot desert in the world – since 1986, the Marathon des Sables is a seven-day ultrarunning adventure split across six stages. It is the brainchild of French concert promoter Patrick Bauer, who, in 1984, decided to traverse 350km across the Sahara. Having lived in West Africa for two years, he had crossed it several times from the safety of a car, but, something deep down told Bauer to tackle the desert on foot. So, he did. Entirely self-s...
How to store your supplements properly to prolong their lifespan
“I set multiple alarms to trick my brain into thinking it’s had a lie-in – is that a problem?”
An ode to my university nightclub
If you saw my most recent post, you’ll have read my pessimistic and rather disparaging forecast of the UK nighttime economy. Aka, where have all the nightclubs gone? According to data from trade body The Night Time Industries Association, the number of nightclubs in the UK dropped from 1,240 in March 2020 to 835 in November 2024. Sad times.Many factors have contributed to the shifts we’ve seen in clubbing culture over the years, but amidst them all, I still believe that a night out is often what...
Moab 240: All you need to know about this incredible ultra
Founded in 2017, the Moab 240 was created in memory of ultrarunner Stephen Jones, who tragically died in 2016 in an avalanche while skiing. A much-loved figure in Utah trail running communities, Jones was seen as a bit of a 200-miler pioneer, known for declaring that ‘200 is the new 100’ back in 2014 – a phrase which helped popularise the distance among Utah’s trail running circles.The brutal but beautiful trail run is part of Destination Trail’s Triple Crown alongside Bigfoot 200 (a 208-mile ul...
Finding a safe space to run: women-only running clubs in the UK
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is ‘Accelerate Action’ – a campaign designed to highlight the message that when it comes to eliminating barriers and biases affecting women’s equality, things need to speed things up. At the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158 to achieve full gender parity, according to the World Economic Forum.In the sporting world, we’re seeing progress – the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris were the first gender-equal games. But, there’s still wor...
These 44 Celebrities Have Run Marathons, Just Like Harry Styles
From Pamela Anderson to Pippa Middleton, see which stars have taken on the marathon and the times they’ve clocked over the years.NYRR / Getty//Getty ImagesOn March 2, Harry Styles swapped the sequins for running trainers (specifically, a pair of Nike Alpha Fly 3) to clock an impressive finish time of 3:24:07 at the 2025 Tokyo Marathon. What’s more, the pop sensation paced the whole race nearly perfectly, clocking 1:42:03 at the halfway mark, followed by a 1:42:04 split for the second half. Alth...
A ‘Wednesday waffle’ has been great for this writer’s long-distance friendships
Is being offered a job you’re underqualified for a red flag?
Expert advice on how to navigate small talk at work
On our complex relationship with documenting memories and living in the moment
With the newest smartphones constantly at our fingertips, many of us prioritise capturing our memories through a lens before really living them. When the World Wide Web was only in its early days and technological distractions were minimal, people – aka our parents – were much better at being present. But in a world of modern tech and social media, is our generation still capable of living in the moment?When Guardian journalist Esther Addley contacted me a few weeks ago asking to interview me fo...
Joining a running club helped me become a happier and faster runner
Just Curious: “Can I improve my hormonal acne through diet?”
Swiftie 5K: A race that needs plenty of tailoring
As a sea of sodden, sequined runners stormed through Battersea Park on Saturday morning, onlookers didn’t quite know what to think. Nor, to be honest, did those running the race. The themed run finally began after staff – who couldn’t locate the start line – spent a chaotic 30 minutes shuffling runners back and forth. We were then moved again to watch ‘Taylor’ – whom we had given up all hopes of seeing by that point – perform a one-song warm-up. Despite lookalike Taylor’s tardy arrival, it was a...
Everything runners need to know about lactic acidosis
Usually nothing to worry about, lactic acid is produced as a result of anaerobic metabolism – the process during which the body produces energy without oxygen. Here’s more information about lactic acid and whether lactic acidosis is something that runners should worry about. When you go for a low-intensity run, your body uses oxygen to break down glucose for energy. However, if you’re starting to exercise more intensely – whether that’s during a training workout or in a race – the body may not b...
Bristol’s Ravers2Runners return for another sober pub crawl run – here’s how to join the party
Bristol-based Ravers2Runners says it’s excited to be bringing back its January ‘Dry Run’ – a sober pub crawl run around city venues – following the success of its inaugural 2024 event. The run will raise money for charity while promoting low-ABV drinks and spotlighting independent venues around the city.Ravers2Runners began fundraising for Caring in Bristol – a local homelessness charity – in 2021, when its virtual fun run to Ibiza and back raised more than £12,000. The club has also raised mone...
A mini foodoir (food memoir) to celebrate the festive season
I recently read – and loved – Jessie Ware’s book, Omelette: Food, Love, Chaos and Other Conversations. A modest 160 pages long, it’s a short but sweet collection of stories and anecdotes from Ware’s life, most of which relate to food. While the Goodreads reviews are mixed – it scored an overall average of 3.85 – many agreed how warm and relatable Ware is throughout, in both her outlook on life and taste in food.The book – which Ware calls a ‘foodoir’ – is essentially a collection of essays in wh...
My two weeks in the big smoke 🚂
I’ve always loved London. The shops, the museums, the big striking buildings. Growing up, we often visited the capital, with it being one of the only cities that’s relatively easy to get to by train from Norwich. I suppose then, I have always had a romanticised view of London: shopping under Oxford Street’s twinkling Christmas lights, grand West End theatre shows, and visiting Dippy the Dinosaur at his Natural History Museum home. To me, the big red London buses were endearing; a symbol of Londo...
How a visually impaired runner and her guide found a winning formula
When Rachael, 46 and her guide Neal, 49, crossed the line of the 2024 Windsor Women’s 10K first – in 38:40 – they couldn't quite believe what they had just done. ‘The commentator guy was saying: “What a run this is from Rachael Elliott, the Newbury AC athlete and her guide. This takes years of training – you've seen the Paralympics”,’ Neal recalls. Little did he know, Rachael and Neal’s 1K warmup 90 minutes prior was the first time they had ever run together – but that’s all it took for the pair...
Have you ever considered becoming a guide runner? Here's how to do it
Ever considered being a guide runner for someone who is visually impaired? According to recent research from the Royal Institute of Blind People, blind and partially sighted people are twice as likely to be inactive and less likely to participate in sport or physical activity than people who don’t experience sight loss.Although the report found that blind and partially sighted people wanted to be more active, half of those surveyed felt that having sight loss stops them from exercising as much a...
Running this amount each week ‘can help you to feel your best’
If you’ve never heard of the term ‘subjective vitality’, then you’re not alone. We rarely hear it mentioned in everyday health conversations and it probably hasn’t been brought up in your annual doctor’s check-up. Its meaning, though, is pretty straightforward – and potentially useful for runners. Your subjective vitality is a general measure of your energy, vigour and general ‘aliveness’. That sounds ideal. Where do I sign up for more of that? Well, let’s start with running. The number of times...
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