Mel's first event aged 10, wearing number 47

 

Through school days and into university, enjoying being active - running and playing hockey - was just part of Mel's identity.  

 

In 2011, though, everything changed. Mel’s life took a difficult turn when following several miscarriages, she suffered an injury that led to major spinal surgery and a year of rehab. As a Mum of two young children, over the next couple of years, she struggled to adjust - to grief, to depression, to life as a new Mum, to months of rehab - and believed that she may never be active again.

 

In November 2014, her trainer encouraged her to find a running buddy and start running again.  A desperate post on Facebook followed, which to Mel's utter amazement led to 75 women she'd never met before turning up to a local park in Bristol to meet her one rainy night for a run.

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This was Mel’s light bulb moment - lots of women were struggling with the same things as her, and yet the opportunity to connect with other women who felt the same had encouraged them all out of their warm, cosy homes that night for a run.  And they'd had a brilliant time!

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Mel went home that night and set up a Facebook group called This Mum Runs.  Armed with a deep empathy for how challenging it feels as a woman juggling a million things at once, to even think about being active, but with the knowledge of the joy it could bring too, Mel was convinced she was on to something and determined to try and make a difference. 

 

Six months later, the group had grown to over a thousand women with runs happening all over the city - and in a sliding doors moment Mel was offered redundancy from her strategy role in events. Grabbing the opportunity with both hands - and with the backing of the TMR community - Mel decided to follow her dream and work on TMR full time. And the rest as they say, is history.....

 

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