Sometimes a little teamwork is imperative for getting motivated to exercise. Husband and wife, Dennis and Victoria, created We Run Notts as a platform to share their running journeys and encourage their followers to do the same. Since beginning in May 2023, the two have shared the highs, lows, and in-between bits of running recreationally, along with creating the A-Z of running in Notts.
Nottingham-born Dennis and university alumni Victoria met during their time working together at Boots Head Office. Since then, they’ve married and created We Run Notts, a joint social media page dedicated to running. For Victoria, We Run Notts is a platform to “share how we learn through our difficulties and work as a team, even when running is hard, injuries frustrate us, and progress feels slow.”
After only dabbling in running occasionally, Victoria was inspired to try Couch To 5k again a couple of years ago, and then began to wonder what other running challenges she could take on. “I’d heard about the London Marathon and, despite not really knowing what getting a place would entail, I entered into the 2023 ballot.” Sure enough, Victoria received a ballot place and has been running consistently ever since. With the support of Dennis, who has been an active runner for the past seven years, she completed the marathon and more since.
Over the years, Dennis found a love for trail running and longer distances, including the Edinburgh Marathon and Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge with friends. Beyond the desire to test his limits, his passion is fuelled by helping other people achieve their goals. This feeds into the We Run Notts partnership, as the two spend plenty of quality time running together, having great chats – and, of course, winding each other up occasionally.
From the outside it can feel that running meet-ups, social runs and running clubs aren’t a place for you. There are so many to choose from in Nottingham and joining one can definitely feel a little daunting. But, the ones we’ve been to have been really welcoming
For Victoria and Dennis, a bonus of training in a team is that they are each other’s biggest cheerleaders, often supporting from the sidelines during events and throughout training. “We cheer each other along as we pursue our goals, but also tell each other what we might not want to hear, like ‘do your stretches!’” Dennis explains. The two encourage each other to go for it in every sense, no matter the challenge, both inside and outside of running. It’s part of what encouraged them to apply for the Asics FrontRunner UK & Ireland team, and since successfully being selected they’ve joined a passionate and encouraging team of committed runners.
For their followers, We Run Notts crucially champions the racial diversity of the running community. “Nottingham is such a diverse city but the running community doesn’t always reflect this, nor do the starting lines at running events. We often ask ourselves what we can do to change this, but we don’t know what we can do for sure just yet.” The pair have found ‘participative representation’ to play a key role – showing up, participating, and encouraging others, particularly those who may feel the same, to do so too.
“Nottingham is a friendly city and the running community often is too,” explains Dennis. “However, from the outside it can feel that running meet-ups, social runs and running clubs aren’t a place for you. There are so many to choose from in Nottingham and joining one can definitely feel a little daunting. But, the ones we’ve been to have been really welcoming.”
If you were to look on Instagram, you’d find that We Run Notts has a particular highlight – running the A-Z of Nottingham spots. That’s right, they’ve run across 26 Nottingham locations, in alphabetical order, recently completing their A-Z. After realising that they were running the same routes out of habit and not exploring all of the locations Nottingham has to offer, they set themselves the challenge of running at a different location each week. They started with Attenborough Nature Reserve in January and finished at south Nottinghamshire hamlet Zouch this July, completing this half-a-year challenge with many highlights along the way.
One particular highlight included C week, where they explored Clifton Woods Nature Reserve. This hidden gem offered quiet trails and woodlands – a trail runner's dream. On E week, they headed to Erewash Valley Trail and bumped into a fellow runner who led them to discover Bennerley Viaduct – another first location for the pair.
With the first We Run Notts meet-up during the U week of their A-Z, Victoria and Dennis played a crucial part in enriching the local running community. Fellow Nottingham runners joined them at University Park to explore the location, with a mix of paces to accommodate all runners. After this great experience, the two intend to hold another meet-up soon, so keep an eye on their Instagram page if you’re interested.
It’s the connection with other Nottingham runners that has been one of the biggest highlights of the We Run Notts journey so far. “We love that the running community celebrates and encourages others, whether that be someone taking part in their first Parkrun, conquering a new distance or getting a personal best,” Victoria explains.
Now that the two have a taste for exploring all that Notts has to offer, they look to explore more of the surrounding areas and find more hidden running gems. This will be great prep for their next challenge of the Robin Hood Half Marathon in September, so if you see them at the starting line or even just out and about, be sure to say hi.
Follow Victoria and Dennis’ journey on Instagram
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