We love celebrating the wonderful achievements of our staff, and earlier this month our very own Business Development Manager Serena Schofield conquered The Great North Run, her first-ever attempt at a half marathon!
The AJ Bell Great North Run is the world’s biggest half marathon and is famous for its vibrant family atmosphere, and reputation for raising plenty of money for worthwhile charities. One of the runners taking part in the bumper 2024 edition was Serena, ready to make her way through the 13.1-mile course from Newcastle to South Shields alongside thousands of others.
Though Serena was active in the gym and enthusiastic about fitness before running regularly, she only started taking it seriously in October of last year as she found it relaxing – with regular runs a great opportunity to clear the mind and listen to music. Serena was aware of The Great North Run as her brother had taken part previously, and with the 2024 run taking place on the 8th of September, she entered via the ballot and was lucky enough to be allocated a place.
Training began as soon as entry was confirmed in February, and Serena aimed initially to go out on regular runs 3 times a week. These runs became a family event, with Serena’s son Jacob joining on his bike to offer encouragement and cheer his Mum on. A few injuries occurred during training, though a great physiotherapist taught her how to change her running technique accordingly.
The big day came around quickly, and Serena, Jacob and other members of the family travelled up to Newcastle in preparation. Everyone involved was incredibly helpful, with a buffet even provided by the hotel that runners were staying in, and plenty of Great North Run enthusiasts lining the streets to cheer on competitors.
An inclusive event, there were other races over the weekend for all abilities and ages. Celebrity appearances and live music added to the occasion. On the Saturday, Jacob took part in the Mini North Run, an event for younger competitors to enjoy. Jacob can be seen pictured with his medal – congratulations on this terrific achievement!
For the challenge on Sunday, Serena set herself a personal target to complete the run in less than 2 hours, though she underestimated how well she would do on the day and managed to complete the course with an impressive time of just 1 hour and 47 minutes!
There was plenty of encouragement from Serena’s family and friends, who were cheering her on throughout and met her at the end of the course. Everyone mentioned how Serena was never without a smile on her face, even towards the end of the race when tiredness began to set in.
A huge well done to Serena and Jacob from everyone at CFH – we look forward to cheering you on again next year!
