Dawn Sketchley

I first went to a training night with Emma Bird in 2017, both of us nervous that we’d never be able to keep up. We quickly realised how warm and friendly everyone was and that most had had the same nerves at some point. And so it began.

Back in the noughties, when Jane Illingworth and I suddenly realised that we had a few precious hours to ourselves as our second born children started nursery, she persuaded me that running outside was infinitely preferable to running on a dread mill and we had a firm commitment to each other on Friday mornings. Over time, we entered Race for Life and ran the now defunct Sandal 10k and I was hooked. I ran my first (and at that time allegedly my last – how little I knew) half marathon in 2008 and now it’s my favourite distance – post event.

When Jane went back to work full time, I tried running solo and with Wakefield Running Mamas until my new year’s resolution in 2015 was parkrun. That’s where I bumped into Emma again who I also knew from toddler groups. 312 events later, I’m still going regularly and I’ve joined the fabulous core team at Nostell as a run director. Emma has been my side kick at so many events and we have had some great times chasing the parkrun alphabet.

Ackworth Road Runners has given me so much. I have travelled with fellow Ackies to international park runs and to international races. During lockdown, Gill Bennett’s Saturday coffee and chat group post notparkrun kept the support alive as did the Committee of that time as they organised imaginative competitions to keep us all going including Graham Beardsley’s photo challenges. Through the Club, I joined a group of like-minded runners and rediscovered a love of reading and so many club friends have supported me through life events – my children going to university and flying solo around the world, one daughter’s series illness, my dad’s Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosis, decline and passing, braving retirement. I hope you know who you are and I thank you all.

And so that is my version of the Club. It is warm, friendly and supportive. Whether you like to compete in the GP, wallow in mud at PECO, paddle at Trunce, pass a baton during Leeds Country Way, enjoy the Reindeer Runs or just want company as you train, there is something for you and you will find a tribe to cheer you on.