An inspirational voice in the local community, athlete Katie Kay is loved by all and admired by many.

She’s the embodiment of a successful runner, encouraging as many people as possible to put one foot in front of the other, whilst still attaining incredible achievements herself.

Striding into her running journey in 2016, she never would’ve predicted the adventure she would be taken on.

Now, fast forward to 2023, Katie is an excellent voice on the Local Runners Podcast, as well as a talented runner at East Cheshire Harriers.

She’s achieved many amazing things in her running career, but soon she will return to the capital to take on the London Marathon.

Having ran London four times before, Katie says the atmosphere is unlike anything else and loves the electric feeling amongst the city.

She can’t wait to return and has been training incredibly hard to smash the 26.2-mile distance.

One of her regular sessions sees her running laps of Park Road. Her final session of the marathon training block took place on Friday (7 April).

She is now in the middle of her tapering portion of training, where athletes slowly withdraw the intensity of running to prepare for the big day.

A key part of the Local Runners Podcast panel, Katie helps to bring a female perspective to the running world.

She has been known to highlight issues impacting women, especially in special women’s themed episodes for International Women’s Day.

These episodes have featured inspiring guests, each bringing a interesting perspective to running conversation.

2023’s episode featured Jessica Piasecki, Renee McGregor and Chloe Elliot, three people championing for excellence in women’s sport.

Discussing all things women, nothing was deemed out of bounds, meaning chat of periods, menopausal running and sports bra fittings were encouraged.

Encouraging more women to speak about the issues that affect them, especially in sport, is incredibly invigorating and opens the door for more females to step inside.

This is something that Katie has mastered perfectly, bringing a female view to a stereotypically male sport and supporting more women to find a love for running.

Ask anyone in the Tameside running community, and there’s a very high chance they will know Katie.

Her infectious energy makes her a positive influence to be around.

Her positive influence is also noticed at the Tour of Tameside, where some of the best runners in the community gather to enjoy the spirit of running.

Last summer, Katie was the second quickest female runner across all four days, after winning the X-Trail 10k on the opening day.

Speaking with other runners on the course, many women felt supported by Katie as they completed the intense challenge in June.

Her talent, attitude and dedication makes her a perfect runner, and for more reasons than just impressive times.

Katie will be one to watch at the London Marathon, as she returns to the capital to prove the many reasons why she loves running.

🏃 Tour of Tameside 2023 🏃

We're proud to be delivering this year's four-day running festival, which takes place from 15 to 18 June. 

Find out more and book your place here. 

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