MICHELLE MORTIMER wasn’t sporty at school but after returning from studying in Italy started running to get into shape. 

After a battle with the sport and her fitness for several years she was inspired to start a running club with a group of friends. The rest is history as Witham Runners has continued to grow and become known as a club that welcomes all.

We were delighted when Shell agreed to talk to us about the club as well as her own personal triumphs in running.

How long have you been running and were there any people who played a major part in your early passion for the sport?

I took up running as a way to lose weight when I was in my early 20s. I was never sporty at school, apart from one out-of-character second placing in school cross country, preferring academia instead. 

University took me to Italy and a whole world of delicious food and good wine, so when I came back to the UK in the dreary February of 2002, a little bit rounder than when I had ventured out there, I simply decided to start running, bought a pair of running shoes, signed up to a Race for Life, and unwittingly set off a chain reaction of events that would change my life forever. 

I had a love/hate relationship with running over the following six or seven years. I followed the normal pattern of gradually increasing the distance of my running challenges, taking part in my first ever 10k, then the Great North Run, but it never even occurred to me to join a running club or find somebody to coach me. 

My future husband took me out on a two-mile training run in the Lake District one day before my

first ever 5k event, and I vividly remember crying at how hard it was. He was also with me every (painful) step of my first half-marathon which I hadn’t trained nearly enough for. With youth and naivety on my side, however, I continued to challenge myself. 

I used to plod along the streets of Bolton with my friend Catherine as we trained for 10k events, and later I inspired all the ladies I worked with to sign up to a Race for Life. Looking back, that single event was what inspired me to get back out running and train consistently, and possibly even planted the seed for our running club…

Could you tell us about Witham Runners and what inspired you to start the group?

After moving to Lincoln I got married, and running was forgotten for a while. I was a slimming club leader at the time, trying to inspire others to eat less and move more but I wasn’t practising what I preached. I rarely exercised, and needed a new hobby. 

One day, in July 2009 I quit my job as I didn’t feel I could inspire others to do what I couldn’t do myself, and then I simply decided to start running again, after what must have been a good 18-month break. 

One day, in the October of that year, having regained my figure in three months simply by being more active, I was walking across the fields to the chip van with two friends (I kid you not) and we were chatting about how the three of us loved running, and wouldn’t it be great if we could find other people to run with. In that four-mile walk there and back across the fields, we came up with a club name, an ethos, and a plan. 

The following week, we had our first ‘member’ turn up for what at that time was a four-mile social run. Each Thursday night over that winter, the number of our running friends grew as we did the same run out and back until the following spring when we decided to advertise a beginner’s programme. Over 40 people turned up that night, mostly women; I remember my husband standing up in front of them all to say some inspirational words and then afterwards admitting how terrifying it was.

That same year, 3 of us took our Leadership in Running qualification and we began to take our roles seriously, planning speed sessions and trail runs. The group was growing and growing, and we managed to train some new run leaders up to help us, but those first few years were very up and down in terms of members. Some nights only one person would turn up, and other nights there would be 15, yet we still had to give the same level of service. 

It was a difficult time, particularly once I fell pregnant and some run leaders moved away. We were stretched. We were still a free running group at that time, attracting only very small pots of funding for kit, as we had always believed that people should be able to run for free. However, that difficult summer taught us that often people don’t value things that are free, and while we were getting stressed about covering sessions and our dwindling members, people were starting to join affiliated clubs elsewhere. 

We took the decision then to affiliate to England Athletics, form a proper committee and become a proper club. We’ve just celebrated our first year of affiliation and the club has never been stronger. I can say hand on heart it is the best thing we have ever done. 

What are the backgrounds of those part of the club and how does the relationship between members allow the club to be so successful?

Our club motto has always been ‘Nobody gets left behind’ and we really do encourage all abilities at Witham Runners. I myself have never been a particularly fast runner, and I know I would have been uncomfortable joining a proper running club when I started out, so we now fill that gap between joining an elite club and running with friends. I’ve even known other local clubs refer people to us, as they know we’re the friendliest club around.

Our club has never taken itself too seriously, we’re supportive, and we run regular beginner programmes to encourage new people into running. Our latest course has just finished, and at least half of those are now running regularly at Parkrun. 

First and foremost we are a group of runners who have become friends. I honestly feel like Witham Runners is my second family.

What I do know is that now we have a committee, everybody chips in a lot of their time and often money to help the club succeed. It’s nice to be surrounded by such generous people. 

What is it about the group and its set-up that has seen you receive awards and what have the awards been for?

I received a completely unexpected award a couple of months ago, by a networking group for business women, Angels Bring Business, for Contribution to Sport. I think the judges liked the fact the club encourages beginners into running and is more of a community group than a running club. I’ll confess that being up there, receiving applause, amongst the likes of Paralympian Jade Etherington, was a little surreal. 

We volunteer at the club because we love what we do. We don’t do it for the glory. I personally feel an enormous sense of satisfaction at seeing others improve or achieve something they never thought possible. Recognition from others is just the icing on the cake. 

How often do you currently run and where does running take you?

My soul belongs to the trails. I can’t even remember the first time I went off-road but I know out there I feel alive and grateful. I don’t race that often, only as part of the local leagues with the club; I run more for the enjoyment of it. 

Running has opened the door to so many opportunities. I feel very grateful to have stumbled upon @ukrunchat one evening on Twitter, and through that community I have met so many supportive people that I’ve had the privilege to race and run with. 

What have been some of your biggest successes in the sport and do you have any goals for the future?

My biggest personal running achievement has to be completing the London marathon which I’ve been lucky enough to run twice in the past two years. In the future I would love to run an ultra, but that’s on hold until my family is older because training takes up such a huge amount of time. For now, I’m making do with team endurance events such as Thunder Run.

Do you have any big plans for the rest of the year and beyond?

For the rest of the year I’m concentrating on strength and conditioning, and focusing my training on 5k and 10k PBs. I might also attempt a half marathon PB in the autumn too. 

The club is also organising its first ever UKA licenced race in August – the Bassingham Bash – which is a very big deal for us so we’re keeping ourselves busy.