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(Image credit: Esmee Gummer) Share Copy link Facebook X Pinterest Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter For the last three months, I've watched in awe as a blonde, tanned, ON running-clad pocket rocket by the name of Esmée Gummer filled my social feeds.
Back in June, she started a mammoth 5,000km running challenge, setting off from Inverness in Scotland and working her way through every UK city, plus Dublin, until she reached her hometown of London.
Rather than another self-serving distance challenge designed to go viral online, Esme's was rooted in community. Aptly named The Nation's 5K, she hosted a free community run club in every city, with the simple goal of encouraging more people to move in an inclusive, fun, and welcoming environment. She took time to speak to every single runner who showed up. She showcased their stories on social. She made it about them, as well as her.
Her passion for fitness has an inspiring backstory; when she was 18, complications from surgery left her paralysed, and she was told she might never walk again. But day by day, she built her fitness back, and her experience is now the inspiration for everything she does. It's also the main reason she wants to encourage as many others to run as possible; to reap the joys of movement while they can.
As a runner myself who tackled a few Ultra distances in 2021 and who has hosted various run clubs over the years, I can't even begin to stress the energy, effort, and skill this feat will have taken. Ultra distances are mentally and physically gruelling; even with the best training and preparation, you go to war with your mind and body for hours at a time. I ran three ultras—45km, 52km, and 58km—in 2021, and was so tired come the end, I think I was practically non-verbal.
Esmee was averaging more than that daily, every day, for 99 days straight, hosting a run club in the middle or at the end.
The run club presents a different skill set altogether, which is what makes this challenge so unique; hosting a run club requires energy, passion, and ample forward planning. There are safety elements, route planning, and community to consider. It's hard to fathom how she did both—the gruelling physical challenge of the day-to-day paired with the mental challenge of the energy required to inspire the many runners who showed up to run alongside her.
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It's the achievement of a lifetime—but it was never about that, really; rather, the people she brought together along the way. Below, she shares her story.
"What happened to me at 18 is everything I am today. Without that experience, I would never have realised the value of movement and saying yes. I also ultimately wouldn't have taken on many of the challenges I have in the past, especially not my recent 5000km run."
"At first, the accident made me too grateful to push myself—I didn't run for six years because I was just so happy to walk again. I didn't want to risk anything by going above and beyond. But eventually, I realised that I didn't have to be nervous about my body—being able to recover from something like paralysis is evidence of how strong I am, not a sign of weakness."
"That mindset switch gave me so much confidence and was the biggest learning from my paralysis, and it was the reason I could run 5,000km. The inner strength that 18-year-old me found to put one foot in front of the other when I could have easily given up is the same fire that took me through this challenge."
"I always knew it would be hard, but you can't ever really prepare for a challenge like this."
"The Nation's 5K means averaging around 50km a day for 99 days, while also hosting a 5K in every city. My routine involved waking up in the van, normally in a car park or a campsite, choking down some food (normally pancakes and syrup) and a cup of tea if we had time to get the gas on. I brushed my teeth on the roadside, got changed, and started running."
"Every ten to 15 km, I would stop at a checkpoint for a refuel (think crisps, Quorn sandwiches, Ritz crackers and Philadelphia, Squares bars or Red Bull). When I got to a city, I would hopefully get a couple of hours of downtime to eat some pasta or a rice bowl in the van. At the same time, I'd be filming and approving content, doing interviews, or watching a quiz show on the campervan TV, before heading into the run club."
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"At the 5Ks, I'd give my introduction speech, then run/jog/walk alongside everyone and always come in last. I took this spot so no one else has to worry about it. We'd normally be at the run club for about two hours, then head back to a gym or leisure centre for a shower before snacking in bed, back in the car park."
"Running with hogweed burns was probably some of the hardest moments of my life. The blisters broke every time I bent my knee, and I didn't sleep because of the pain. Other times, like running a 430km week towards the end of the challenge, put strain on my body in a way you can't explain."
"People would often ask me how I wasn't tired or sore, because I was often still jumping around and dancing. I always laughed and said, "I am!". But I was so adamant that I wouldn't let the physical pain change my mindset. We are rightly taught to listen to our bodies, but for this challenge I had to totally disconnect from mine."
"It would tell me to stop, that it didn't want to do anymore, but I had to keep going. At the same time, I had more respect for it than ever. It's complicated, but this challenge was never going to be simple."
"By the end of month one, I'd covered 1,555km, climbed nearly 17,000m and hosted 24 run clubs. I remember feeling such a huge sense of achievement; those stats alone are ridiculously impressive. Yet that was only a third of what I was having to do to complete this challenge I had set out to achieve. It was difficult to celebrate for too long as I had to keep my focus for what was to come."
"The biggest surprise of the journey was honestly how much my body was capable of. If I'm honest, that remained throughout. I never got used to the fact that my body was running an ultra marathon a day; I would love to say that it became second nature, when in reality I was surprised every single day that my body was doing it."
"I started my own run club in London about three and a half years ago, and the stories that came out of it blew my mind. People weren't just telling me that they fell in love with running, but that coming to do a 5K had genuinely changed their life."
"It was nothing to do with the run itself, but the people they met. They'd tell me that they turned up to their first Say Yes Club run often feeling like they didn't know who they were, what they were doing with their life, or even that they didn't want to be here anymore. Then, they met someone on that run who became their best mate, and a year on, they were celebrating their birthday together with a new group of friends, going on holidays together, getting new jobs, and running races together."
"I wanted that impact to go further than just my corner of East London. On this challenge, I've seen the same thing, where people have started their own run clubs after coming to a Nation's 5K club, or left having exchanged numbers with someone they might not have ever crossed paths with."
"The standout highlight of my The Nations 5K run clubs was seeing people like Bethany, who feel like they don't belong in the running space, finally feel welcome."
"We had these experiences at every single 5K. People sometimes turned up saying they were too slow, not good enough or extremely nervous, but then they would hear my speech and see the crowd and feel welcome."
"If everyone who came to my run club left feeling like that, I definitely feel like I've achieved what I wanted."
"Social media has a big part to play in making people feel that running isn't "for them". The algorithm pushes extreme versions of running—we're led to believe everyone is running 20-minute 5Ks, and marathons have become the new normal."
"Even offline, a lot of run clubs cater to fast runners—I've seen plenty where, if you can't complete a 5K within 30 minutes, you basically can't join in, and that's despite the fact that the average 5K time for a woman is 38 minutes."
"I invited people to walk, jog, run or wheel the 5K, and I've learnt a lot about making exercise genuinely feel inclusive rather than simply putting the word "inclusive" on an event along the way."
"I've learnt that you have to take the feedback from the people and listen to it, rather than think you are making people feel included. At every single 5k, I started at the front of the group and made my way back through to the very back, making sure I spoke to as many people as possible."
"By doing that, you get to talk to people, you understand them, and you know if they feel safe and connected. It's very easy to call your club inclusive and then spend the whole time at the front leading, without connecting with every person there. I have hosted 77 run clubs back to back, and I can honestly say I have learnt more than I ever knew before."
"I had so many ideas of what success looked like for this challenge before I set out. I spent the start of the challenge going through these in my head day after day, measuring the success of the challenge based on these. But it didn't take long for me to have a deep conversation with myself about what was truly important. For me, that was always having an impact on people and getting them moving."
"I'll never know how many people I've impacted, which I used to be bothered about. I can't count how many people were inspired to move because of my challenge. Maybe they saw it on Instagram and went for a run; maybe their neighbour came to one of my runs and told them about it, which in turn encouraged them to go to the gym that day."
"It used to bother me that I didn't know the true number, but actually now I think it's quite beautiful that my message is just out there, changing lives without me knowing."
"If having an impact on people and motivating them to move was the goal, I've definitely achieved it, and I can't wait to spread it further."
"I was presented with a Guinness World Records title at the finish of The Nation's 5K in London for the most run clubs hosted in different cities by an individual."
"The idea of the Guinness World Record title was motivating because it wasn't about me. A lot of people have done record-breaking challenges—I didn't want to be known for going the furthest or the fastest. I wanted to be known for bringing people together."
"I'm really excited that the record was for the run clubs and the number of people we got together."
Ally Head Senior Health and Sustainability Editor Ally is Marie Claire UK's Senior Health and Sustainability Editor, a well-regarded wellness expert, ten-time marathoner, and Boston Qualifying runner.
Utilising her impressive skillset and exceptional quality of writing, she pens investigative, review and first-person pieces that consistently demonstrate flair and originality.
Ally manages a team of freelancers, oversees all commissioning and strategy for her pillars, and spearheads the brand's annual Women in Sport covers, interviewing and shooting the likes of Mary Earps, Millie Bright, and Ilona Maher. Shortlisted for three BSMEs and winning one in 2022, Ally lives and breathes her verticals: her eye for a story and connections within the wellness sphere are unrivalled. Follow Ally on Instagram for more.
Source: Fashion