Holly Harris Athlete Ambassador

Holly is an ultra runner who balances running with family life. She talks to Sundried about training and motivation.

Have you always been into sport?

I was always active as a child but I lost interest at secondary school. After I had my third child, I decided to get back into sport and took up running. At first it was shorter races and half marathons, but it quickly led to marathons and ultra marathons.

What’s been your favourite race to date and why?

My favourite race was the 100km Race to the Stones. Training for this was immense, but it’s a fantastic race, so well organised and I was so proud to reach that finish line.

And your proudest achievement?

My proudest achievement is completing my first marathon which was the Chelmsford Marathon. My training cycle hadn’t been completed due to my son being in hospital, so to finish in a decent time despite all the setbacks was amazing.

Have you ever had any racing disasters/your toughest race yet?

The toughest races for me are always where lack of sleep is involved! I should be used to lack of sleep with three young children, but I need my rest!

How do you overcome setbacks?

No training cycle is ever going to be perfect, the best thing to do is give yourself a generous training time and allow for setbacks such as illness and family life. If I have a setback in a race and am disappointed in my performance despite training hard, it gives me momentum to go forward and try again.

What advice do you wish you'd been given before you started competing?

When I did my first ever race, I assumed I would do the race and stop running and that was it. But over 3 years on, I’m running more than ever and changing the goal posts every time. I will never be the fastest of the field but I wish someone had told me that with running you get out of it what you put in. How my training has gone is nearly always reflected in how I race.

What are your goals for 2020?

I am lucky to have a charity place for the London 2020 marathon, so I’m training hard at the moment to try and do it justice. Further into the summer I’m looking forward to the 84km (53 miles) Race to the Tower and will also look to do another Ultra in the Autumn.

Who do you take your inspiration from?

Some of the best ultra runners in Britain at the moment are women. When Jasmin Paris won the Montane Spine Race outright last year it was a major turning point for female endurance running, it makes me believe anything is possible.

What do you like about Sundried and what’s your favourite bit of our kit?

I love how innovative Sundried are as a company and the embedded principles of well-being and ethical production. The winter training top has been amazing this year for long cold marathon training and the leggings provide fantastic support and comfort for two other loves of mine, gym work and hot yoga. I have tried lots of different brands and Sundried provide great premium sportswear for a great price.