Here’s to strong women, may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.” ~ unknown

The above quote sums up the women of the #TRCfamily🧡 well and so this International Women’s Day I want to shout out to the following members of our family:

Firstly, to Lucy who works diligently behind the scenes alongside our CEO, Alex, since the beginning of The Running Charity’s journey. She is someone I can bounce ideas about the women’s programme with to make sure it really shows what we do. She’s our awesome Communications and Fundraising officer.

To Liz, who had to navigate the pandemic during the Leeds hub’s first year to now leading an established group of young people and volunteers. She’s also an amazing runner and a fantastic ambassador for our cause.

To Jerry, who was a young person when I first met her and is now a valued member of the London hub. She has had to overcome a lot but she embodies the TRC spirit and is testament to the work our programme does in changing young people’s lives. She is a valued colleague.

To the mentors I have met during our London hub sessions and events. Thank you for your help and advice with the young women who engage with us. It means our work can have a far reaching impact beyond running.

Lastly, and by no means least, to all the young women I have met over the nearly 5 years I have been the Women’s Programme Coach. They have all amazed and inspired me with their tenacity, resilience, determination and hard work through our 1:1 interactions, group sessions and events. Many will have experienced adversities that I would not wish on anyone. It’s been tough not to breakdown when they do because we are all human. But just being able to support them on a journey where they build on their confidence and can live out the dreams and aspirations they’ve always wanted is something special. Being able to share the power of running with them creates such a strong bond. Also having the Sisterhood means they do not feel alone and they have others who can cheer them on.

Thank you all for being such a big part of my life.

You can keep up to date with Carmen on X @sportygirl_85