“I don’t identify myself as a runner, I’m just somebody who runs,” Katie Kay says before preparing for her latest race, the Heights Ultra Trail 50-mile Marathon.

Striding into her running journey aged 36, Katie quickly found herself immersed within the culture of running: the beauty of nature, the benefits to your mental wellbeing and the social inclusion with those who share the sport – she was hooked!

Before long she was persuaded by a friend to join Hyde Village Striders, a decision which she would soon find to be monumental to her running.

“At that point I was only really dabbling into running with a couple of short runs a week, so I kept putting off joining a club as I thought what on earth would I be going there for?

“However, I went down one night, and I have never looked back. I loved it from the minute I joined, the support, the advice, the friends I’ve made,” she says.

Working within health and wellbeing in Tameside, the idea arose that Katie should run the Tour of Tameside Hero Half Marathon in 2017 to raise money for Tameside and Glossop Mind.

At the time this distance sounded like a challenge, but before she knew it, she was running the 13.1-mile distance along with her club.

Before she had even had chance to run the half marathon, the charity contacted her again, this time with the news that they had three places for the London Marathon and wanted her to run it.

“I hadn’t even been running a year, but everyone told me to take it as people try for years to get into the race.

“The race was in April 2017, and I trained hard yet I was naive as I believed that I could run the race alongside someone else.”

This was something that the pair quickly learnt was impossible in a 26.2-mile race as Katie’s friend required medical intervention at mile 20, forcing them to walk the last 6.

Despite not receiving the result she would’ve wanted, Katie was able to raise £3,000 for Mind and now had a passion for distance races.

Making the ballot for the 2019 race, Katie trained harder and ran the marathon in a time of 3:35, an impeccable time to complete the distance.

Her natural talent for running combined with her endless hard work paid off for Katie, who before long was receiving all kinds of awards.

“In February 2019 I ran the Stockport Trail Half Marathon, I finished the race and returned to my car only to find someone knocking on my window minutes later to tell me that they were shouting my name at the prize ceremony!

“I had to run back to collect my prize as I ended up being the second lady finisher of the race,” she says.

Her next mission is to tackle the Heights Ultra Trail Marathon in just over a week’s time, a memorable event scaling 582 metres above sea level and taking runners on a journey over 50 miles.

The race, which covers the Colne and Holme Valleys, will be Katie’s longest distance to date.

“I’m hoping and praying that my legs will carry me around 50 miles, I’ve trained as much as I can psychologically and physically, I’m in the best place that I can be,” she says.

Despite the incentives of the rewards and record times, Katie has learnt to enjoy the run and the beauty surrounding her, and from the Wild Bank Trig Point to the famous Hobson Moor, there are endless options to discover the beautiful contours of Tameside.

Katie is also the latest guest on the Local Runner's Podcast, a Tameside based show featuring the likes of runners from all kinds of backgrounds. 

You can keep up with updates of the podcast via their social media:

Want more local sports stories? 

Head to https://www.questmedianetwork.co.uk/news/sport/ to see more of our coverage - from community and non-league football to local and county cricket, boxing, athletics, basketball, Esports and golf.