Tom Thomas has been awarded a grant towards kit for the upcoming season. We wish him well.

I have always been a fellrunner, from being a junior to a senior. I was never that talented, I definitely came under the banner of an enthusiastic try-hard anorak; I would know every race record, but also know I wasn’t going to finish anywhere near it. I became an under 23 in 2011 and started really running well, having views to do the U/23 English and British Championships. Unfortunately, about a week after the Long Mynd race I turned my ankle, despite going over to Ireland to do the Mournes and a jaunt round the Coniston race, it pretty much ended my running for 3 years. The diagnosis – I’d basically done in Peroneal tendons, if I ran, I couldn’t walk the next day so eventually after a year of trying, I just stopped running and threw in the towel because it was getting me down.

Fast forward to last summer, I had finished uni, had no job, suffered from pretty bad depression due to personal issues and I discovered running again….I tentatively tried my ankle and it seemed fine. I could run two days in a row, and even though it’s a case of management I managed to train well and finish 24th at the Scafell Pike race and I was running better than ever off significantly less mileage. So I’ve decided to finish my unfinished business and go all out to try and medal in the U/23 British championships this year. I do think long term I can be a race winner, I train hard, I eat well and I love the sport. For now I’d be content with a good showing in the British champs and take it from there.

I’m working, but shifts and money have been hard to come by and I got job scammed recently which was really great given the circumstances. I’ve earned £200 in the last 2 months and that doesn’t really cover 3 weeks living costs and now I’m at the point where my shoes are causing me injuries. I will be working to contribute to my aims but I don’t have any savings or anything other than what I earn….hopefully there will be some improvement here.