Victoria and Dennis to take on the Nottingham 10K

Meet Victoria and Dennis - a married running duo from Nottingham who will be running the Nottingham 10K together on Sunday 10th March. 

Both of mixed heritage, they are keen to show that anyone can give running a go, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds across the city of Nottingham.

We caught up with Victoria to find out more about their motivations for running the 10K. 

Who or what encouraged you to start running? 

I had previously only dabbled with running, the occasional jog, and Couch to 5k once upon a time. I was inspired to give Couch to 5k another shot in July 2022 after seeing someone posting about it on social media.

While making my way to that 5k milestone, I wondered, ‘Wouldn't it be amazing if I could also take on some other running challenges?’

With this in mind, I entered the London Marathon 2023 ballot, and I only went and got a place.

I had no idea what training for a marathon would involve and what I had gotten myself into, but that ballot place changed everything. 

I feel like it made me a runner and I found (most of the time) I enjoyed all that came with that, the discipline of training, learning about running, and the milestones I achieved along the way - my first 10k, 8 miles, 10 miles, and half marathon.

I would have never thought I'd be able to run a marathon but I did. While training for London, I discovered there were six world major marathons. Being an ordinary runner, I wondered whether I might be able to take on this extraordinary challenge.

I entered the New York City marathon ballot and somehow got into that too. 

I started 2023 having never run more than a 10k and finished it having run two world major marathons.’

Can you tell us a bit more about why you're keen to show that anyone can give running a go, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds?

Along this running journey, I realised that I didn’t often see runners running around Nottingham who looked like me and this has often been the case at organised running events. This inspired me and my husband, who is also of mixed heritage, to create @werunnotts. A place to share our running journeys, the highs, the lows, and everything in between. We hope to demonstrate that ordinary runners can do extraordinary things and hopefully encourage others to give running a go, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. 

What made you both want to run this year's Nottingham 10K? 

We decided to sign up for the Nottingham 10k as it’s a great opportunity to run through the streets of Nottingham, our hometown. It’s an opportunity for participative representation and a chance to join the wider community of Nottingham runners.

Can you share any top tips for anyone starting on their running journey? 

• Join a running community, online or offline. Finding others who are running regularly can provide encouragement and tips that make all the difference.
• To know that you don’t have to love it all the time, I think it’s easy to imagine that runners love running all the time, but there are days when it’s hard to put the trainers on and that’s ok.
• Signing up for an event or having a goal is great motivation.
• Find a training plan and don’t do too much too soon (I didn’t take this advice!), going more steadily with your running training will be much better in the long run. Finding a running plan helps you know when to run and how long for.
• Celebrate your achievements regularly – small wins and big wins.

Good luck Victoria and Dennis, we can't wait to see you both smash your running goals on event day! 

Entries are still open for the Nottingham 10K. To find out more and sign up click here