University of Gloucestershire student Grace Woolgar remarked: “It was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life.” following the completion of her half marathon in Cardiff on Sunday.
Woolgar, 19, is an avid runner and has always had her sights set on long distance races: “I’ve always had a full marathon on my bucket list, and hopefully the London Marathon. I thought I’d start off with a half marathon, and try and raise some money, which I managed to do. I raised a lot more than I thought I would.
I started off with a target of £200, and just today I’ve hit £1300. So, the cause changed throughout my training and leading up to the day, it became a lot more about the charity than just about me doing the run itself.”
The charity Woolgar ran for was Dementia UK who are a charity very close to her heart.
“My nan had dementia, and she passed away two years ago, and now my grandma currently has dementia. She’s in a home, and I’ve seen not just how dementia affects the person itself, but my grandpa as well. That’s his wife. It’s not nice to see somebody you love suffering. It affects the whole family. It’s a really cruel disease.”
The English literature student recalled it was the charity and the thought of her family that got her through the most difficult periods of the race.
“I’ve actually got my nan’s ashes in my necklace, and I wore that on the day. During the tough moments of the race, I could feel the pendant hitting my chest and it kept reminding me to think about why I’m doing it.”
Woolgar commented on how different training is to the race itself: “When you’re training, you’ve just got yourself. The only person who can motivate you is yourself. So, when you’re surrounded by all these people that are running for so many different reasons and charities, and you’ve got all these people on the sidelines – even strangers cheering you on, there’s such a sense of community, and it really does keep you going.”
It wasn’t just strangers’ cheers that spurred Woolgar on, it was the excitement of looking out for her friends: “I had my friends there from University and the whole way through, you’re looking for them. They can’t be there with you for the whole race, So you’re waiting, wondering at what point you’ll see them, and then all of a sudden you hear ‘GRACE! GRACE!’ That was also a big motivator, because I wanted to see them, it pushed me to keep going.”
The second-year student wasn’t as equipped as some of the other runners but that didn’t stop her: “I actually ran the half in my battered old Nike shoes. My dad bought me these for like £60 in lockdown, which is when I started running. I felt like I kind of owed it to them to wear them in the half marathon, because I wouldn’t have got to that position without them. “
She’s since decided it’s time to retire the shoes that started it all off: “I think it’s safe to say I won’t be wearing these again. I’ve actually made a promise to myself that I’m not running again until I’ve got a decent pair of trainers, because it was quite embarrassing showing up in those whilst there’s runners around me with their expensive Hoka’s and Nike’s.”
Woolgar hopes to take on the London Marathon as her next contest but acknowledges the difficulty of the challenge: “It’s really hard to get into because obviously it’s so big. But I think a marathon, a full marathon, is definitely on the cards, and something I absolutely have to do. Especially now I’ve got a taste for it, and I know I’m capable of doing it. So yeah, I’m thinking London Marathon and maybe the Sydney marathon in Australia. One day!”
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