STACEY FLINN-SCHOLFIELD, 36, is a medical secretary and lives in Darlington with her husband Paul, 40, who works in the armed forces, and their son Bear, eight.Stacey pictured at at her family home in Bradford at 18 when she was roughly 14st 7lbs
“I began to realise that until Paul came along, often I ate because I was unhappy or bored. Now that I was more content, I started making healthier choices. By the time we got married in August 2007, I was a size 12 and weighed 11st. “The first session was a mixture of weights, HIIT and cardio. I found it really hard and I was exhausted by the end of it. But I also loved the endorphin rush, which I’d never experienced before.
“In January this year I began training to do the 62-mile Race to the Castle ultramarathon – an event scheduled to take place over two days in Northumberland in June – to raise money for Parkinson’s UK, because my mum Kathryn, 63, has the disease.“When it was cancelled due to coronavirus, I was gutted, but I resolved to run the distance anyway in my local area.
“When I woke up on the second morning still with more than 30 miles to run, I really didn’t know how I was going to do it all over again. But I put my trainers on and got back on the road, determined to achieve my goal.“When I finished, 7 hours 28 minutes later, I felt euphoric. I’ve raised almost £3,000 so far, and despite aching for days afterwards, I know it won’t be my last ultra.
This is insensitive to people with already healthy shapes. Id ask to please be more considerate in the future. healthyshape Pride