‘I’ve gone from running a mile to a marathon in a year’
A 23-year-old trainee solicitor from Treharris is proving all people can take part in running events no matter their pace.
Jade Driscoll has gone from conquering one mile to an entire marathon in a year and is inspiring others to take up the sport through social media.
Jade wasn’t keen on sports in school, and despite attempting Couch to 5K a couple of times, it wasn’t until April 2024 that she really found her stride.
She said: “I was able to run a mile without stopping and something clicked. I started to fall in love with running. I wanted to run with others so set up my own group catering to a slower pace and complete beginners as I knew there must be others similar to me.”
Jade did her first 10K in July 2024, completing it in 1 hour 40 minutes. She then got a 10-minute PB at the Brecon Carreg CDF 10K and took on her first Cardiff Half Marathon in October. Incredibly, just six months later she was on the start line of the TCS London Marathon.
“I was watching the London Marathon in 2024 and sat there crying,” said Jade. “I never thought I’d be able to do – I thought it was something for the elites – but I saw all these stories of people running for personal reasons or for charity and I signed up to run even before I’d done my first half. Everyone said I was crazy.
“Looking back now it all feels like a blur. It was a struggle but I got swept up in the day. I was adamant I was going to cross that finish line.
“People think they can’t run races like this because they’re not fast enough, but I’m not a fast runner and I’m proving to them that you can. To go from running a mile to a marathon in a year is crazy – but if I can do it, anyone can.”
After taking on the huge 26.2 miles in April, Jade now has her sights set on her second Oysho Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday 5 October.
She said: “Last year it took me 3 hours 47 minutes and my current goal is to run sub three hours. That’s something I really love about the Cardiff Half the cut off times are really inclusive, you get 4 hours to complete the course.”
She added: “I’ve documented my running from the start and get messages all the time from people saying it’s inspired them to run. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. You’re not in competition with anyone else, just do the best you can for yourself.
“I’m really excited to look back at my first half and see how far I’ve come. This Cardiff Half will feel like a big victory lap for everything that’s happened in the last year.”
