Tell us a bit about you and your dog/s
I have been participating in sleddog sports for 10 years now, with my now retired boy Harry, my current running dog Cai (both kelpie x collies) and my daughter participates with her collie x huntaway Bailey and we also have little Mia, a rescue who was my daughters first canicross dog. We live in North Shropshire.
Tell us a bit about your canicross experience so far…
I have run and raced in distances from 5k to Ultra all over the country, highlights being racing on the Isle of Mull and competing a marathon distance with Harry around Llangollen- a very tough run!
Tell us about how canicross has helped you and your dog/s and your biggest achievements
Canicross has always been a great way to keep me fit, give my high-energy dogs the exercise they need as well as strengthening our bond doing something together we both love. Back in 2017, when I was running at my best and training to achieve my fastest 5k times, I suffered from horrendous sciatica which eventually was found to be caused by an extruded disc trapping two nerves, I could barely walk for 3 months and spent most of my time lying on a hard floor! Eventually, a very good oestopath managed to get me walking again, I probably wouldn’t have tried running again if it wasn’t for the fact I needed to get back to giving my dog the exercise and outlet he needed, as well as desperately wanting to get back to social runs and be part of the canicross community again. We’ll never be as fast as we were but I’m back to enjoying the sport again albeit having to be very careful! My greatest achievement honestly is competing with my boy Cai, who himself has suffered ill health but always wanted to run and love every minute of his life, every time I cross a finish line with him I feel very emotional from the commitment and dedication he always gives me. Also watching my daughter compete with Harry in the national events achieving a number 1 ranking before Harry retired 😊
What are your goals and plans for the future?
I would love to one day be able to compete in the Nationals races myself, hopefully see my daughter there in the future and possibly Europeans, and to continue travelling over the country seeing new places and making more friends.
