Joanna has run casually for many years but it became her passion when she became a mum. With 4 children, running provided her with welcome time off and headspace, even with the youngest occasionally coming along in a pushchair. She now loves to start the day with an early run wherever possible. Joanna began to get more serious about running in 2017, having moved to Durham from Worcester in 2015 and meeting many inspirational runners. Until then 10km was her longest run and she had mostly run alone. Armed with a running community though and more running knowledge, Joanna entered her first 10km and half marathon events in 2017 for charity and has been hooked ever since, completing her first marathon in 2019. She loves challenging herself with her running and enjoys running with company these days! "I have learnt so much from the amazing DMOTR community and from my LiRF course. I am new to leading group runs but am really excited about doing so more often and very proud to be part of the DMOTR team."