Local runner to represent England

Tameside athlete Katie Kay will once again represent her country next year at April’s Manchester Marathon. 

The 45-year-old has been selected to wear the prestigious England vest as part of the England Athletics Age Group Masters programme, which helps to shine a light on talented runners over the age of 35. 

The programme gives elite athletes across the country the chance to represent their nation in various races, should they meet the criteria. 

Having represented England at last year’s Birmingham 10k and Manchester Half Marathon, Katie’s time at this September’s Berlin Marathon saw her qualify this time around. 

“I’m really proud,” the Dukinfield born runner told the Reporter following the achievement. 

“It’s a bit scary, exciting, all those emotions. 

“Although I’m quite scared, I think it’ll be amazing, and I’ll be proud to wear that vest and run around my home city.” 

Though she was delighted with the news, Katie admits it came as a bit of a surprise. 

“I’m still in a bit of shock, because I wasn’t really expecting it. 

“I had a bad marathon in London this year so going into Berlin my confidence was at an all-time low. 

“Then when we got to Germany it was boiling, they had a random heatwave, so that panicked me even more. 

“But I just had to trust that I’d done the training, and luckily, I had a great run and was accepted. 

“Previously I’ve always just winged my training, but I’d signed up to a coach before Berlin, so I had somebody who was giving me advice, guidance and reassuring me, so that really helped.” 

The stellar achievement is made that bit more impressive by the fact that the current East Cheshire Harriers athlete didn’t take up running until she was in her mid 30s. 

“At first, I just did it to get fit after I’d had children,” admitted the now 45-year-old. 

“Once you’ve had children you can quite often lose your identity and just be a mum for a while, so I just wanted to get myself back. 

“Then I started to enjoy it more and realised I could push myself a bit further, so I started to set goals, and here I am now. 

“I can’t even say that running for England was a dream because I didn’t even know it was a possibility or an option at first. 

“But the Masters programme is great, it just shows that age should never be a barrier. 

“I’d encourage anyone to look at the qualification process, it shines a light on older runners, and it’s a great opportunity.” 

When asked on her advice to newcomers looking to follow in her footsteps, Katie said: 

“I would say start small, go for a jog around the block or try the couch to 5k. 

“Park runs are fantastic as well, they are a great non-competitive starting point. 

“I’d also say join a club, there’s lots of them locally, and it’s really helpful to run with people. 

“When you start it can be quite scary and intimidating, you don’t know how far or at what pace to run, and running with people can help with that. 

“I’d say just put your trainers on and give it a go, the most difficult part is lacing them up and leaving that front door.” 

Plenty more running advice can be found on the Local Runners Podcast, which Katie has co-hosted since 2021. 

The podcast is made up of four local runners, who talk about their experiences and interview guests to hear about their stories. 

The podcast, which has just entered its 115th episode, is available on all platforms. 

Looking forward, 2026 is set to be a busy year for Katie, who hopes to compete in the London Marathon alongside the Manchester equivalent, as well as the iconic Tour 2026. 

“I love the tour. It’s one of my favourite events of the whole running calendar,” said the 2023 runner up. 

“I missed out on it last year; I wasn’t in great shape after London, so I didn’t do the full Tour. 

“But I had massive FOMO, so it’s definitely on the cards for next year.”