Hayley's right on track ahead of Wilmslow Half Marathon

East Cheshire Harriers coach Hayley Simpson has been clocking the miles during the lockdown and is relishing the chance to return to the track.

The 24-year-old has been associated with the club since the age of eight and has since competed in various races, including the Tour of Tameside and Mossley 10k to name a few locally. In the latter, Hayley was the first female to cross the finish line in 2019 with a time of 42.31.

Hayley, who is a sports coach at Active Tameside, has been maintaining her fitness over the past month by running five to six times a week - the longest of which can last up to 15 miles on a Sunday.

And she has also been making sure the members at East Cheshire Harriers don’t become complacent and keep on track with their fitness goals by launching daily videos with different challenges.

Speaking to Reporter Sport, Hayley said watching her parents compete from a young age inspired her to do it herself, and has since excelled in a number of disciplines, ranging from cross country to track events and even road races. 

And she is hoping to be just as influential for the next generation of athletes training with the club. “I coach the U11 athletes and a handful of U13 athletes, and I’m also the coaching coordinator at the club as well” said Hayley.

“My Thursday nights are very busy and very loud. One of the most rewarding things has to be how much the junior section has grown over the last few years. It’s extremely rewarding seeing such a large number of juniors loving athletics. I also attend a lot of competitions to watch the athletes I coach, and to see them competing with a huge smile on their face is  brilliant.”

Hayley, who won the Coach of the Year award at the Pride of Tameside Sports Awards in 2017, is set to compete at the Wilmslow Half Marathon, which has been rearranged to take place on Sunday, October 11.

And despite no indication to when the lockdown will be lifted or when life will return to normality, Hayley is taking it all in her stride - literally - as she’s making the most of her spare time by pushing herself to her physical limits. She added: “My favourite form of running has to be cross country as I love the hills and mud. 

“However, last year I completed my first half marathon and absolutely loved the training and race. As I am training now I am enjoying the longer distance runs. I am looking forward to completing more half marathons, and I do love the Hell on the Fell at the Tour of Tameside and the Mossley 10k for the hills.

“As soon as I am back from my morning run I post the fitness challenge! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed organising the fitness challenges it’s kept me very, very busy. Even when I forget to plan for the next day and have to quickly think of something and get my personal photographer, my mum, to film it. We have had a lot of engagement from club members, particularly our junior members. They are starting to get very competitive. We have even had a number of parents getting involved but I think some have ran away from our harder challenges”

Having been associated with East Cheshire for 17 years, Hayley said it was a huge relief to finally see new floodlights constructed In January. For many months, the lights were deemed inadequate and therefore a safety risk to the club’s members, with some choosing to train elsewhere until the problem was rectified.

But now the new lights are fully functional, the club is in a healthy position and numbers are growing from strength-to-strength. “The floodlights have had such a huge impact on the club” said Hayley. “After a number of years of struggling with a lack of light during the winter months it was amazing to finally have the lights at the start of the year. Groups are now able to utilise the full track and the grass.”

If and when schools re-open in September, Hayley will continue her teaching role with Active Tameside and can't wait to get the pupils moving. "Within my role at Active Tameside I teach PE in five primary schools in Mossley" she said.

"This involves delivering PE lessons, lunch clubs and after school activities. In addition I organise Mossley Hub competitions each half term, and holiday camps. My job is extremely rewarding and very enjoyable. In the future I would like to continue within my role at Active Tameside and continue to develop my coaching knowledge to help the children I teach and coach.".

You can follow Hayley on Twitter: @hayley_simpson_