Why Run?

Kate turns 80 this year. Together with her sister Hilary and their friend Ros, who are both in their 80s, they have formed a  highly personal running group called The Old Crones. A lifetime of friend…

My guest today on Why Run? is Hasan, who works in finance - a career renowned for its high pressure and stressful lifestyle. In 2010, Hasan quit a job after months of long hours, little managerial s…

Mark White founder of  Run Grateful - a movement that links gratitude with movement. 

On this episode, Mark candidly shares his story  of how he went into rehab for drug and alcohol dependency at  the…

In her 30s, Annie Simpson experienced  birth and loss - both of which have very much influenced how she approaches life today.

Desperate for a baby, Annie  was told  by her consultant in her mid-30s …

At the end of 2021,  life took a dramatic turn for Jen and her family when her five-year-old  son Eashan started to lose his sight. After extensive tests and an emergency scan, Eashan was diagnosed w…

My guest today is Vicki, who developed an eating disorder  in 2011.  This was a particularly busy and stressful year for Vicki with lots of changes going on in her life. She moved area, she got marri…

Jane Dennison is the founder of a running club for beginners in Manchester called the Mile Shy Club. She is passionately committed to helping others to discover the benefits of running and walking - …

 Tony started running in his mid-40s to improve his physical health and fitness...only to discover he was rather good at it. Having always been competitive, he was soon entering events and went on to…

Nita started running about ten years ago at the age of 48. At the time, she was severely depressed and found it difficult to even summon energy to get dressed or clean her teeth. It took Nita 20 week…

As a boy, Shakil was obsessed with football. He loved to play, but was routinely overlooked and excluded from playing for his community team. The criticism and rejection led to feelings of low self-w…

Karen is a bright, loud and funny secondary school teacher. She currently teaches English and Performing Arts and when she retires next year she plans to have a go at stand-up comedy. 

"I love perform…

Steve used to go to a local running club, but being slow, he  always finished last. The experience left him feeling humiliated and low, even though he went on to complete numerous running events, inc…

Seven years ago, Denise adopted a three-year-old little boy. Like all children who are placed for adoption, her son had been through traumatic early life experiences. One of the impacts of this, is t…

When Graham was in the army 20 years ago, he used to enjoy a game of poker with friends. Gradually though, over the years, his gambling increased, and five years ago, it had taken him to a very dark …

The National Running Show's CEO Mike Seaman talks to  host Diane Church for this special bonus episode of Why Run?

Mike plays many sports, but he says it's running that provides him with the headspac…

In October 2015, Tracey’s life was changed forever in  a split second when her 21-year-old son Josh was killed in an unprovoked knife attack. For four years, her grief felt largely on hold as she fou…

 In the summer of 2020 after the  first COVID-lockdown restrictions were lifted,  Coco met a new guy. The  relationship developed quickly and intensively, as they’d both been on their own for three m…

Sarah is a mother of four, a cafe manager, a recovering alcoholic...and a runner. Why Run?  explores the mental health benefits of running and in this premier episode,  Sarah speaks candidly and emot…

Why Run? is launching on March 7th 2022. This trailer is a taster for the first series, which will explore the mental health benefits of running. Host Diane Church started running to get physically f…