Meet the Club Member: Elizabeth

We kick off our new series of 'Meet the Club Member' profiles with Elizabeth who is training for an epic marathon challenge in April.

Picture from Meet the Club Member: Elizabeth

You are...

Elizabeth Ayres, member since April 2017 

What brought you to the club

Speedy club members running Brighton marathon in April 2017. They totally impressed this member of Team Sloth who was struggling around the course. Back in London after the marathon, I spotted the red and golds running around Hyde Park (my usual run route) so I decided that running solo wasn't all that much fun and I joined up.

When you aren't running, you are...

Shouting, I mean encouraging, others to run. I lead two beginner groups of school mums from my son’s school and also help out with the school athletics and football clubs. I also volunteer at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home which is extremely rewarding and a much needed break from working as an accountant.

The most challenging thing you have ever done

Running! I only began lacing up my trainers in January 2017 so I'm very much a baby runner compared to most at the club. I hadn’t run since school decades ago where I absolutely hated it. took me quite a while to enjoy it this time around but I’m so glad I started again.

Your favourite book or film

I have to choose only one? I'm a voracious reader and love movies so this has to be the toughest question. My most read book has to be George Orwell's 1984, the story of our 'future' covers so many themes from the dissatisfaction of a dystopian world and totalitarian politics to philosophy and symbolism. It even manages to squeeze in a not so perfect hero who you are never quite sure if you want to cheer him on, pity him or condemn his actions.Meet the club member: Elizabeth

If you could be an animal, you would want to be...

A bear! I'd get to eat all the food and sleep throughout winter without feeling guilty about slacking. Bears can eat cake, right?

What you like best about the club

It's social and welcoming. I hear others complain that their club is all about races or performance and I love that Serpentine doesn't have that pressure, it's all about enjoying the run regardless of whether it's a club run or a race.

Most unusual race you have ever done

I think my most unusual race would have to be Equinox 24 which I ran on my birthday last September. The aim is to run as many 10k loops as possible within 24hrs, some do it in pairs or teams but I ran as a solo. It was unusual for me as I'd never gone over marathon distance especially on a mainly trail route and had never run through the night. It was an absolutely amazing weekend and I'm going back again as a solo this year.

Your top training tip

There's no such thing as a bad run. Pick apart the run to find out what went wrong, you'll learn something from it which now makes it a positive experience.

Your next big goal

Four marathons in April. Initially it was only going to be Brighton and London as I have unfinished business with them from last year but then I won a place on the final team for Women's Running magazine's Big Marathon Challenge so running Manchester is a must. I'm running all of them for charity (Whizz-kids) so then I decided to add Newport on to make it a full on challenge to aid fundraising. I never said I was smart!

Something you have never told anyone else or that would surprise others

I'm actually an open book so I don't think there's anything I haven't told anyone else and as for surprising others, I don't think my antics surprise anyone anymore.

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions Elizabeth and best of luck for your marathon challenge! You can follow Elizabeth on Instagram and her blog - Oops I ran it again!

Eda Korkmaz
communications@serpentine.org.uk

Submitted: 16 February 2018

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