Currently in the middle of her latest and greatest running challenge, to run 1000 Mountain summits in 365 days, TinaPage is a ‘fly in the face of convention’ everyday kind of runner and adventurer with dodgy knees, a strong predilection for flapjack and an inability to ever run past a slice of cake!. Never content with accepting her self described ‘decidedly below average’ abilities and certainly not one to be told “you can’t do that” she loves nothing more than taking on endurance challenges and long distance adventures, having cycled a 1000 mile End to End of Britain, hiked several thousands of miles along ancient pilgrimage routes through Europe and in 2017 set a record as the first woman to run the whole of Britain’s National Three Peaks Challenge raising money and awareness for Mountain Rescue and outdoor environment protection charities.
Described by BBC Radio as ‘totally bonkers’ this ’19 marathons in 19 days’ 500 mile solo and unsupported trail run, carrying all the gear needed to bivvy and bothy along the way was deemed all the more unlikely as Tina only started running just three years previous, in her forties, after being blown away with inspiration when she witnessed the incredible achievements of ultra marathoners on a summer visit to the Alps. This marked something of an epiphany for Tina, discovering that ordinary people are indeed capable of extraordinary things and she discarded her ice cream, donned her joggers and headed out her campervan door to really push some comfort zone boundaries.
In her short running life she has completed several Ultramarathons as well as a 200 mile solo run through Spain. As a self confessed ‘back of the pack’ runner Tina is passionate about sharing inspirational running and outdoors stories and spreading the message that we are all capable of so much more than we sometimes allow ourselves to believe, encouraging the belief that no one is ever too old, not brave enough, too unfit or out of shape to get out and enjoy activities in the amazing world outdoors.
To prove the point she is currently hauling her creaky knees up all the mountains of England, Wales and Ireland, with a smattering of Scottish mountains in a bid to raise a altitudinous £50,000 for Mountain Rescue and Mountain Search Dogs by running 1000 Mountains of the British Isles in 365 days. Tina really wants lots of people to join her during this challenge and encourages anyone regardless of running level to join her scaling a summit or two, or at one of her ‘Virtual Mountain’ gym challenges. Kindly sponsored by the overwhelmingly popular team from Flapjackery who were a total wow at last years National Running Show there is always plenty of flapjack to share as an extra incentive!
Tina has also been a bit of a world traveller and has enjoyed several motorised challenges including driving a scooter around India and journeying from the UK to Singapore by any overland means possible including a dugout boat up the Mekong river but nowadays she prefers to travel on her own two feet and when not earning a few beans to keep herself in running shoes she can be found living a fairly frugal and minimalist lifestyle most of the year in her ‘basecamp’ campervan exploring the UK and Europe in search of great running trails and new adventures. Oh, and hunting out the best flapjack and cakes!
Tina Page
