Long-serving members of Reading Roadrunners were stunned — and delighted —to learn of the return to racing of Sarah Gee after an extended sabbatical
of 14 years.
Basically the absence of the club’s best-ever lady competitor can be explained by the old problem of life getting in the way of running.
Now Sarah, who has held RR records at all distances from 10k to marathon since 2010, has made a winning return.
First she knocked 41 seconds off Jane Davies’s club V60 record for parkrun. Then she led our V50 squad to silver medals at the SEAA relays at Aldershot.
So what has she been up to all this time? Let Sarah tell her own story…
“A big hello and thank-you to everyone who has made me feel so welcome on my return to RR after so many years.
“I hung up my running shoes in October, 2010, having had my most successful year at the age of 46. I had started running at 40.
“Following winning the Edinburgh Marathon in May that year I achieved my goal of being selected for the full England team at the Toronto Marathon, and received my full England kit. My Edinburgh Marathon time had missed the Commonwealth Games qualifying time by 16 seconds.
“However, both my personal and professional life took new directions at the end of that year and my daughters — then aged eight and nine — needed more input and help in their school work.
“So it was the right decision to step back from running, but a difficult one. I loved my time at RR and I adored running; however, it was becoming very time-consuming.
“Now, 14 years on, having turned 60 and retired, and with daughters focused on their own paths, I have thrown myself back into the fun, addictive and exciting world of running. It was always on the bucket list to return at some point.
“In the 14 years of being away I carried on jogging five miles in the mornings, on my own at easy pace, but completely stopped running for five years from 2019, through Covid, and to 2023.
“During this time I was working long hours in medical writing in the Biotech world, including a Covid medicine.
“The stimulation to start running again was twofold … to do with my own health (high blood pressure) and being involved in a Uni project for my youngest daughter, who is studying veterinary medicine.
“Alyssa added a sixth year to her Uni life by doing a intercalated year at Loughborough in sports science and needed to do a psychological profile on an athlete preparing for an event.
“We live in the same road in Warfield as the GB marathon runner Charlotte Purdue but she was away and not available for interview at the time. My daughter panicked and tweaked her plan and said the profile had to become an (old) athlete preparing for a return to athletics. That was me!
“I did my first-ever parkrun a couple of weeks ago — I never recorded a 5k time in my 40s. Then I joined one of the teams at the relays at Rushmoor.
“A big shout-out to ladies’ captain Chloe Lloyd, who sensed my initial reticence when I suggested I should be a reserve. She insisted I “get out there!” And she was right.
“I enjoyed my leg of the relay and everyone from RR was welcoming, chatty and supportive.
“I wouldn’t have expected anything else, as I have always had fond memories of the club and its great members.”
Next target for Sarah — who back in the day was ranked age-group No.1 in England at 10k, half marathon and marathon — will be representing the club in the Hampshire League when cross-country resumes next month.
Other targets include British Masters championships at both 5k and 10 miles in December.
Don’t rule out England Masters vests next year… her training times at both 10k and half marathon are comfortably inside the national qualification marks.
Welcome back, Sarah!
- Pictures show: Sarah finishing the 2009 Reading Half Marathon; with daughter Alyssa; representing England in an XC international; at the Aldershot relays; and in England kit again at the Toronto Marathon.
