'It gave me a lot more confidence - in what I was able and capable of doing'

Sarah, Scafell Pike

Returning to her childhood home, the Lake District, after having a child opened Sarah’s eyes to the wonder of what was on doorstep. Taking up running as a way of dealing with the life changes she had gone through, Sarah felt invigorated and empowered, but needing another challenge, she decided to run up England’s highest peak, Scafell Pike.

She now runs a group for like-minded women to do activities in the lakes - she wants to set an example to her daughter that women can do anything they set their minds to.

Sarah on the way up Scafell Pike
Running has reconnected Sarah to the landscape she grew up in
View of Scafell Pike
Sarah running up a path to Scafell Pike Play Video
Sarah on the way up Scafell Pike Running has reconnected Sarah to the landscape she grew up in View of Scafell Pike

Audio transcript

Setting a challenge

'I started running after having Molly - it was something to help get me fit, and also a bit of time to myself.

I hadn’t really been out into the Lakes at all when I was younger.

Growing up I wasn’t particularly outdoorsy, and didn’t really acknowledge or appreciate where we were.

I'd written a list of 30 things to do in my 30s and one of the things was to summit the National Three Peaks.

The first time I would say I just got up Scafell Pike. I was pretty nervous to start off with - being one of, well, the highest peak in England.'

" The route I took is one of the most popular. It’s a beautiful valley."
- Sarah

'The weather wasn’t great so the higher I got up, the more I got into cloud. I actually couldn’t see anything on the top, which was quite disappointing, but at the time I just felt really accomplished to get to the top, I think.'

Inspiring the next generation

'Coming down it’s always quite exciting when you come back below the cloud and you get the view. Coming down the corridor route is really beautiful.

And it was really green that year; I remember everything being really...we must've had a wet summer because everything was really lush and green.

It did give me a lot more confidence - just in what I was able and capable of doing. I knew I could. I knew I was fit and able, but it’s just that next step into the unknown.

I try and take Molly along to a lot of what we do, so she's really immersed in that and it’s just normal, so she doesn’t even question whether she can run up Scafell Pike one day. It’s just "no, I'm going to go and do this."'