Meet our #MotivateaMate winners Katie and Ed

Say hello to Ed and Katie! Back at the start of June Katie and Ed won our #MotivateaMate competition, bagging themselves free entry to Yorkshire Marathon in return for sharing their Marathon training journey with us – right through to the finish line. We caught up with them at the start of that journey to ask a few questions.

Hello!  We are Katie Horne and Ed Partridge and together we are running the London Marathon to raise money for Versus Arthritis plus the Yorkshire Marathon for ourselves! We've been running together for over 2 years and pre-pandemic were on track for the London Marathon 2020 but then of course the world shifted and everything changed ...  Training has now begun again for the London Marathon 2021 and we're hoping to tip our fundraising for Versus Arthritis over the £10,000 mark by the time October comes around. We're running for Versus Arthritis as Katie's sister and parents and Ed's 18 year old daughter all suffer from the disease and we've seen first hand just how the money raised helps with the development of new and improved medications.

And then there's Yorkshire ...!  Katie hails from there, and at the beginning of the year when lockdown was back on we were both feeling very down and needed something to look forward to, and the Yorkshire Marathon was it!  Originally we were thinking 2022, but when we saw this year's was only 2 weeks after London we thought "why not?", and why not indeed.

How does it feel to have won #MotivateaMate, what was your reaction when you found out?

Katie:  Ed shared the news and I honestly didn’t believe him!! Little  (I speak for myself here!) us from the Essex Riviera!!! And I CANNOT wait to show him my stomping ground when we run the Leeds Half!!

Ed:  I fully expect 13 miles of "I was thrown out of there ... barred from there ... and there ...  oh ... and there ...".  As for Yorkshire, we're both really excited for that too although we're hearing things about the hill on the last half mile ...  But to win the competition has given us a well needed boost.

How did you meet?

Katie: We met in a giant sports hall when our children, my oldest Thomas and Ed’s youngest Isabella had a play date with the rest of their class before they embarked on the start of primary school!

Ed: You asked me which child I belonged to!

Katie: It took a while until we did our first run and he talked me into signing up for a marathon!

Ed: You made the mistake of saying a marathon is on your bucket list.  

How have you found running over lockdown? Did you run more or less? 

Katie: I ran a lot less, I found that with my work, home school and the general stress of life that I struggled to get out. Also I wasn’t used to having so many people to share the streets with!!

Ed: Whereas I ran a lot more!  My family were shielding throughout lockdown as the Arthritis medication my daughter is on drastically reduces her immune system, which meant I spent a lot of my time on a treadmill.

Katie: You won an American style fridge-freezer!

Ed: I did! I entered a lot of virtual races and ended up with an American style fridge-freezer.

What’s your top tip for motivation when you really don’t want to go out?

Katie: Try to remember how good you will feel when you have been out. And if that fails I found thinking of what a privilege it is to have a body that can move and run is. My family lost a dear friend at the start of my running journey and during her last few weeks I felt motivated to get out and feel the sun/rain/wind and remember how lucky I was to do it when some can’t. 

Ed: Getting out the door is the first battle, then not giving up before the end of the first mile.  It's easy to say I'll do it tomorrow, but then you'll sit on the sofa telling yourself off for the rest of the day. 

Katie: Also having a younger sister, mum and dad who deal with the pain of arthritis on a daily basis and still allow nothing to hold them back remind me how lucky I am to have a body I Can move freely and pain free (pre long run at least!)

Ed: Exactly!

What do you love about running?

Katie: If I’m honest probably finishing!!!! But also having time to force me to pause, be present and not be mum, wife, clinician and just me for a while!

Ed: Just getting out, whether it's the treadmill or the real world. I can escape for a period of time and not have to think about anything. I often find I come up with solutions to work issues because my mind is relaxed. And obviously running with Katie. And I'm sure she meant to say that about me too ...

What are your go to running essentials?

Katie: I would say my watch! So I know how far I’ve ran!! Often a good podcast!! That can keep me distracted if I need it and of course Ed!!! To keep me moving when my head isn’t in it!!

Ed: Decent pair of running shoes and my watch. And Katie. Katie is very essential.

What’s your favourite running memory together?

Katie: I would say probably attempting to run during storm whoever it was and avoiding puddles that really should have been called ponds!!

Ed: That was February 29th last year. It wasn't a fun run and we spent a lot of the time shouting at the weather, but we had a good time and laughed a lot. That's one of things I love about running with a mate, we laugh and put the world to rights whilst running very slowly.

When’s your favourite time to run?

Katie: I find a morning run when sunny morning and it’s still quiet is best! Although it’s hard to get up I struggle to get out after a busy day when I want to curl up in my pjs! So getting out and enjoying it early is normally the recipe for success!! Particularly when the sun is shining and you feel like you have the whole world to yourself!!

Ed: Same for me. It's back to getting out the door again but I find it easier in the morning especially as I then have a day of endorphins after!

Have you ever done a marathon before?

Katie: We have been training for our Marathon for what feels like forever originally starting in May 2019 for London 2020. This then got postponed and then postponed again until we finally did the virtual London Marathon in October last year. It feels like such a long journey to get us to an actual one with people and everything!!! Running around our home area had its perks with drive by cheering from friends and all our children’s class posters along the route and it was amazing to finish but I think (hope) when (if) I finish Yorkshire Marathon the euphoria will cap this whole journey off just as much as it should!!

Ed: I've run the Brighton Marathon twice and London once, plus the Virtual last October.  These will be the first marathons I've run with a partner and I'm really looking forward to it, Yorkshire in particular as it's not only a new event for me, it's also one we're doing for ourselves, no fundraising involved.  We can get on and enjoy Katie's stomping ground as a little treat to ourselves.

How are you feeling about doing Yorkshire Marathon 2021?

Katie: Pretty nervous. On the back of London and having done so little for what feels like forever it’s all a bit scary!!

Ed: I'm really looking forward to it. Although it does have a hint of sadness as it will be the culmination of our marathon running adventures. Unless of course I can convince Katie to do it again next year!

What are your running goals (for this challenge/this year)?

Katie: Back to back marathons!!! And still having working legs!

Ed: Finishing the two marathons. We're not precious about times, but with London as it has so much fundraising riding on it there is the pressure of completing it. Yorkshire though, that's my goal. That's OUR marathon.

Keep an eye out for more updates on Katie and Ed's story over the coming weeks and months!

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