“I won two 100K races this year while being a single mum to 5 kids”

Sophie Carter – winner of Race to the Stones and Race to the King (course record holder) – explains how she balances being a top ultrarunner with parenting 5 kids by herself.

Have you always been a runner and when did you realise you were good at it?

I only started running properly in my 20’s. It was something I admired and wanted to do. I’d run at school and would win races but didn’t think that made me a runner, or any good. But it was something that made me feel good.

In my 20’s when working as a solicitor, I started training for a marathon as I’d always wanted to run a marathon. After the marathon, I realised I might actually be quite good at running and joined a running club expecting to be the slowest runner (not expecting to be the fastest!!) From there, I just went from strength to strength personally and physically.

When did you run your first ultra and how did it go?

My first ultra was Race to the Stones in 2016. My Mum was very ill with bowel cancer and I knew she wouldn’t see the year out (she died three months later). I’d never run further than a marathon at that point but knew running an ultra was calling me, and felt it would help with the mental pain of my mother’s illness. I was also going through a divorce at the same time.

I managed to be the leading lady in the race up to 90km where I then took a wrong turn. I ended up completely lost and with no energy to find out where I was or retrace my steps! However I did have the strong desire to go back and try an ultra again.

What is it about ultras you like?

I spent about 10 years purely doing 5Ks to marathons with pb’s of 17 mins for 5km and 35 mins for 10km. During this time, I was chasing fast times and loved just pushing myself. However, after the breakdown of my relationship and the loss of my mother, the call of ultras was strong. I had a lot of stress, and shorter faster races felt too stressful. With longer distances, I was enjoying settling into a race and testing my endurance and speed. I’d never been strong at off-road and navigation, given my background in road running, but suddenly my life changed and something different appealed. Conversely though, running ultras is harder to do with a young family. I’m a single parent with no family support network around me, meaning that I can’t do as many ultras as I’d like.

How do you train for ultras?

Training for ultras is not conventional, especially with five young children – three of whom are aged 4 and under. I’m not able to get out to do mega long runs for training. I see some people might do a 50-miler ahead of a 100K race, but I've never done more than 30 miles. In order to juggle runs with childcare, I’ll often split my runs and even then I’ll probably not do more than 20 miles at a time. Running consistently over several days covering about 100 miles a week is better for me rather than doing one long mega run. Covering this many miles means I have to be mindful of fuelling and recovery and so I take my Protein Rebel collagen and magnesium daily.

Do you do any strength training as part of your preparation?

Strength training is a massive part of my preparation and training, including doing a lot of squats! When doing Race to the King I was surprised at how well I coped with the terrain considering how little hill training I’d done. But having done lots and lots of squats, it simulates the effort of running up and down hills.

How have you had to adapt to your training as a single mum of 5 children?

It’s very hard finding the time to train as a single mum. My parents are no longer around to help so it's just me. I fit in sessions when the kids are at school, run a lot with the buggy and hire a babysitter once a week so I can put in an effort session. My 14-year-old also helps with looking after my other children when they have some free time so I can get a session done. Thankfully, everyone understands that running is what I do and it makes me a better mummy for it.

What are your proudest running moments?

I was really proud of winning Race to the Stones this year because just a few days’ before the race, I went through a big life-changing event where I suddenly found myself single again. I was in shock and hadn't really slept or eaten. I even contemplated pulling out the race but then realised I needed to do it for my mental health. With everything going on in my life, the fact I managed to win was quite amazing. I'm also really proud of wining Race to the King as everything just aligned on the day, and also for competing for England in the 100k championships.

I can be too self-critical but have learnt to be proud of all my running achievements. Even just showing up and trying your hardest when life isn't easy should be something to remember with pride.

You won both Race to the King and Race to the Stones this year. Did you go into these races with victory in mind?

I went into both races wanting to win as I like to prepare and be focused. My race plan is always to listen to my body and fuel frequently with my Maple Ignite gels and electrolytes.

How important is it to inspire the next generation of female ultrarunners?

For me, running has been a personal journey so I’m not very vocal with my advice to others. But I do strongly believe that you should give things a go and if you enjoy it, keep pursuing it and not worrying that it’s selfish. Women who have children will often think: “I can't do that because it’s taking time away from my children”. But what I've learnt is that it's absolutely necessary to do things for yourself and look after yourself, because if your mental and physical health are bad, you absolutely can’t look after your children well. It’s this message that I would like to get across when others see me running and achieving my goals – do what you love and don’t sacrifice it for a misplaced sense of selfishness.

What’s next?

My original plan was to achieve a good time at Valencia Marathon and qualify again for the 100k championships, but with being on my own with no support network, it wasn't possible to go to Valencia. I now think that I'll just do what I can do and keep improving. I still want to be pushing myself, because that’s what excites me, gives me a purpose and makes me a better person and a better mother. I've also been asked to be an ambassador for the Threshold Trail Series which organise Race to the King and Race to the Stones so I’m excited to see where this takes me.

When did you start coaching and why?

I started coaching in 2010 after doing a diploma in personal training while pregnant with my daughter. I'd given up practicing as a lawyer which everyone thought was crazy, but I just knew that my passion lay in helping people with sport, fitness and health. I also loved being outside and running. I started with postnatal buggy fitness classes which evolved into online run coaching, which I love as I’m using my experience to help others’ achieve their running goals.

Which types of runners do you coach?

I coach everyone from absolute beginners to those wanting to improve their ultrarunning and am open to taking on more clients. I focus on helping people to look at their running holistically as I realise that everyone's got different lives with different things going on, so I find a plan that absolutely works for them and is realistic. I also enjoy helping pregnant women with maintaining fitness and trying to run during pregnancy. I'm actually in the process of publishing a report about running in pregnancy.

What are your hopes and plans for the future?

I just want to keep improving and enjoying what I do and seeing where it gets me. I strongly believe that anything is possible if you can dream it. My life motto is dream, believe, achieve. 

You can follow Sophie @sophierunner