Angela started running at the age of 53 as part of a series of ‘small steps’ she took to improve her health and quality of life. A friend then introduced her to the world of ultra running and she become fascinated with what the human body can achieve when asked.
Since then she has completed events of varying distances including 50 miles, a 100 mile race and the 190 mile Northern Traverse and a number of 24 hour races as well as taking up cycling and swimming.
A former surgeon, Angela has a passion to inspire others to take their own ‘small steps’ to adopt healthy lifestyle choices throughout life and has set up a social enterprise to encourage and motivate people to improve their future health.
Prior to medicine Angela had a first career in the computer industry but in her early thirties she went to medical school and retrained as a doctor. Thereafter she undertook surgical training and specialised in trauma and orthopaedics. She developed a special interest in older people and hip fracture. She combined her skills from both careers throughout her practice to improve services for patients. Among other roles, she has been a Trustee with an Age UK charity and chaired a Local Authority Health and Wellbeing Board. Each of these roles gave her different perspectives on issues affecting us as we age but a predominant concern is the level of long term health problems people develop through life.
Angela says that age really is just a number and, with increased life expectancy, it’s really important that we change our expectations of older age and remain healthy and continue to pursue our dreams and ambitions.
Setting ourselves goals of one sort or another can help give us purpose and a sense of achievement.
In September 2019, to raise awareness of the need to look after ourselves, Angela challenged herself to run from John O’Groats to Land’s End, ‘the JOGLE’, a distance of 875 miles. Overcoming extreme weather and injury, she found herself re-framing her expectations on the run.
Completing the JOGLE in 18 days, 10 hours and 3 minutes, at the age of 60, Angela set a new Guinness World Record as the oldest female to do so.
Angela has three children and three little granddaughters for whom she hopes she is a worthy and positive role model.
‘You’re never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream’
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Show notes
- Who is Angela
- Having 2 careers, first in the computer industry and then becoming a Doctor in her early 30s
- Developing an interest in trauma in older people
- 2006/2007 losing 3 close family members within 4 months of one another
- Throwing herself into work and becoming unfit and unhappy
- 2009 dealing with personal illness and needing to make a change in her life
- Taking - Small Steps
- Taking up running at 53 years old and being introduced to ultra running
- Learning how to cycle and swim and doing triathlons
- Being fascinated by what the human body can do
- 190 mile Northern Traverse
- Losing her husband to a brain tumour
- Wanting to find a way to help others
- Setting up a social enterprise to encourage other people to take their own small steps to improve their own quality of life
- Wanting to change the perception of ageing
- Going for Old Community Interest Company to help improve the quality of life for all of us as we age (Company Number: 11481424)
- Starting with walking
- Renewing social contacts with old friends
- Having trouble sleeping
- How can I make it fun? How can I make it enjoyable?
- Progressing with her running!
- Joining a running group for mature ladies
- The Joss Naylor Lakeland Challenge - 30 summits over a distance of 48 miles and climbs 17,000 feet (77km, 5182m).
- Lakes in a Day - 50 miles, 4000m ascent
- Mental resilience during tough times
- JOGLE - 875 miles running from John O’Groats to Lands End
- Dealing with the bodies response to trauma
- Running 40 miles a day in training
- Running 74 miles on the first day of JOGLE
- Supplementation
- Food and snacks to fuel the JOGLE run!
- Dealing with adverse weather conditions - of heat and a North Atlantic Storm!
- Costs of JOGLE
- The challenge of gathering the evidence for Guinness to prove the World Record
- Advice for women who think they are too old to take on a new challenge
- Why you are never too old to set a new goal or a new dream
- Having to make the social enterprise dormant due to covid
- Taking on a new challenge for her 62nd birthday!
- Running the 62 highest lake district peaks back to back in 62 hours on the 6th June 2021
- Feeling anxious about the upcoming challenge
- Racing the Montane Lakeland 100 at the end of July
- Advice and top tips for other women
Social Media
To find out more about Angela and The Running Granny:
If you’d like to make a donation to support Angela’s social enterprise: