Sarah Dufour-Jackson

Sarah first found running almost by accident. During a charity fun run with Brownies, while everyone else stopped after a few laps, she just kept going. Someone suggested she join a running club, and that eventually led her to Crewe and Nantwich AC.

After stepping away from the sport in her teens, Sarah returned to running during lockdown. What started as jogging with friends gradually became structured training and, after joining Vale Royal AC, her performances began to move quickly. She has since run 15:44 for 5K and 32:32 for 10K, times she admits she is still learning to believe she is capable of.

Running sits alongside a full life. Sarah works as an assistant psychologist in the NHS, with the long-term ambition of becoming a clinical psychologist, while training and competing at a high level. The community around the sport matters just as much to her as the results, giving her somewhere to compete, switch off and spend time with people who share the same drive.

For Sarah, the next step isn't simply about running faster. It's about discovering what might be possible with greater belief, structure and support around the work she is already doing. Strength and conditioning, recovery, physio and performance support through Motion can help fill some of the gaps, while her coaching and training remain with Vale Royal.

She doesn't know where the ceiling is yet. That's the point.