Until she reached the age of 67, the thought of going for a run had never crossed Lesley Richardson’s mind.
Then the retired nurse from Almondbank heard about the ‘couch to 5k’ movement, which encourages novices to get moving.
Lesley tried it, loved it, and now – five years on – she is running a half-marathon every month and picking up medals right, left and centre.
She has become a stalwart of the Perth parkrun.
And now she has persuaded husband Lawrence, 76, and older neighbours to get their running shoes on too.
Lesley says she’s fitter, healthier and happier than she’s felt in years.
And she’s passionate about encouraging others to take up running.
“It’s never too late,” she told The Courier.
“It does you good to prove to yourself that you can do things like this.”
Summer of success
Lesley has accumulated a growing pile of medals over the last five years.
Her most recent silverware came from last weekend’s Chilli Trail Race in Auchterarder when she and Lawrence both triumphed in the male and female veteran sections.
Victory over the gruelling 10k cross country course gave her a hat trick after she excelled at the Auchterarder Running Festival in September.
She was first female home in her category in the 10k run on the Saturday.
Undaunted, she went back on the Sunday and won her age group in the half-marathon too.
Lesley’s growing medal haul includes runs all over the UK.
And her biggest challenge to date will be the Loch Ness marathon next year. Her son is signing her up for it for her birthday present.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for the former spinal unit and Marie Curie nurse.
“I remember thinking ”I’ll just try this couch to 5k thing they’re all talking about’,” she said.
“That first time I could hardly get to the top of the wee brae outside our house. I thought ‘this isn’t for me, this is awful’.
“But then I kept going and it all just progressed from there.”
Parkrun and personal challenges
When she’s not scooping prizes, Lesley likes to tick off personal challenges.
She’s made it her goal to run a half-marathon every month, following a 13-mile route on the roads around her home.
And she has been looking forward to the weekly parkrun resuming in Perth this weekend, following the flooding which rendered the route out of bounds for several weeks.
“I’m a volunteer marshall,” she said.
“It’s a very social thing, and it’s amazing the people you meet. People will be just walking past and I’ll say ‘why don’t you join in?’
“I’ve managed to get a few older people to start running. My neighbour is 84 and registered blind and I’ve got her at it now too.”
Conversation