WAY runner Julie featured in Runner's World

July 2026

Congratulations to Kent-based WAY runner Julie, who is featured in the latest issue of Runner's World, where she shares how running has helped her rebuild her life after bereavement.

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Although she’d dabbled in running before, Julie says she truly discovered the sport after her husband, Clive, died in 2020. A friend introduced her to parkrun and, as she began running further and entering races, Julie entered the ballot for the Great North Run as something she wanted to do for herself – a personal challenge as part of her ‘new life’ after losing Clive. 

Completing the iconic race on what would have been their 23rd wedding anniversary made the achievement especially meaningful: “I kept thinking, I never thought I would be doing this,” she told Runner’s World. “Clive would have been so proud of me.”

Julie also joined WAY soon after Clive died and credits the peer support network with helping her through those early days of grief: 

“WAY has been a lifesaver, if I’m being totally honest,” she says. “It started with the new member Zooms back in January 2021, which I attended regularly for my first year.”

Julie made friends in that group that she is still in touch with today and meets up with whenever possible. “Just to be able to speak to others who understood how it felt to have your person ripped away from you helped me feel less alone,” she says.

“I was also quite active in attending and arranging meet-ups over the last few years and have so many friends because of that,” she adds. “I formed an initial running friendship group with some people in WAY, which became so much more than just running together. We're great friends.”

Julie has also been an active member of the WAY running group, where members encourage one another and celebrate each other’s successes, big or small.

We’re so proud to see Julie sharing her inspiring ‘medals that mean the world to me’ story with a wider audience, and we’re delighted that Runner's World is helping shine a light on the power of WAY’s peer support network.

Read Julie’s story in the latest issue of Runner's World, on sale throughout July 2026.