Meet our Supporters – Jess

Meet our Supporters – Jess

Can you tell me more about yourself?

I started running about 10 years ago when I was working a job with long hours in London. I wanted to carve out a bit of time for myself to unwind at the end of the day so began going for some very slow jogs around the block in the evening. They were really tough at first, but I loved how they helped clear my mind and the sense of achievement I got as I felt myself getting fitter and faster.

Picking up my race number – Credit Jess Barrett

Why did you decide to fundraise for Scottish Mountain Rescue?

I’d applied for the London Marathon 2023 ballot, not expecting to get a place as hundreds of thousands of people do the same. And yet I did! I knew straight away that I wanted to use it to do a fundraiser. It’s such an iconic event and having done several half marathons since 2016 and a marathon in 2019 to challenge myself, it felt like the right time and moment to make it count for more.

I chose Scottish Mountain Rescue as my dad, who died suddenly back in 2004 when I was a teenager, loved mountain climbing. For a long time after he died, I really struggled to even think about him, let alone talk about him, but I’d reached a point where it felt important to do something positive in his memory and celebrate his life. He used to tell me about his climbing trips all around the world when I was growing up, and he loved Scotland’s mountains. Him telling me these stories are some of my strongest memories of him – he was always so happy and excited to share them with me, and they now give me a real sense of who he was as a person.

My dad climbing in Peru in the 1970s provided by Barrett family

The life-saving service provided by Scottish Mountain Rescue is just incredible – all by volunteers going out any day in any weather to help people. I couldn’t think of a better cause to fundraise for in memory of my mountain loving dad.

Tell us more about taking part in the London Marathon

I’ve never been part of a run like it! There was pretty much a wall of noise for the whole 26.2 miles as the route weaved its way from Greenwich to the Mall. People are out cheering, giving high fives, offering sweets, playing music, telling you that you are awesome. It was the most incredible buzz and I felt like I was smiling the whole way round!

I had some friends and my eight-year-old godson come along to support me, who were absolutely brilliant standing out in the rain and cheering me on. My godson made me an amazing banner featuring a mountain rescue taking place and me running faster than an F1 car! There was also my husband, my mum and a lot of friends and family sending me messages and watching the coverage on TV, including my pals back home in Edinburgh looking after my dog! I’d shared the details of how to follow me with everyone who donated to my JustGiving page which meant I got a lot of celebratory texts when I crossed the finish line.

Bodie watching out for me – Credit Lauren MacLeod

Running the marathon was a whole bundle of emotions – nervousness beforehand hoping all the weeks of training would pay off, whilst also feeling confident I’d done all I could towards it, overwhelming at times by the scale of it all, and euphoria as I got closer to the end and realised what kind of time I was going to do it in.

I thought about my dad as I ran and what he would have made of it all – I’ve got his stubborn streak which definitely helped keep me going. And the fundraiser was a big motivator too. Whenever things got a bit tough, I thought of all the donations and messages of support and dug in to find some more power to keep going!

What kind of preparation or training did you do for the London Marathon?

I followed the Hanson’s Marathon Method which I’d used for the Amsterdam Marathon in 2019 and found it suited me well. It’s really structured and there’s no let-up in it; you are soon running six days a week, and up to about 60 miles a week when you reach the peak of it. It meant I had to stay on track because missing one run would be hard to catch up on, but I could really tell how much progress I made over the 16 weeks of it.

I like to run with music so to help me prepare for the marathon I asked those I was sharing my fundraiser with for their song recommendations to go on my playlist to power me on through training and on the day. I was conscious that with the cost-of-living crisis not everyone would be able to support with donations so this was a way for people to still get involved. I now have a very eclectic mix of music that really does keep me kicking up my heels and making my legs go as fast as they can!

Half a mile to go – credit Donald Mackintosh

What was the hardest and most rewarding thing about the fundraising?

The hardest thing was just getting going with it! By the time I got round to contacting SMR about doing the fundraiser I was well into my training, and it then took me another few weeks to get my JustGiving page sorted because all of my time was being taken up by running!

I think the most rewarding thing was the response I got from people. The support blew me away! People were so generous. I’d set my initial target at £500, increased that to £750 after the first target was met in just a few days, and then just kept going trying to raise as much as possible. What people were saying meant so much – messages willing me on and that my dad would be proud, lots who go hill and mountain climbing who felt a connection with SMR, conversations it sparked with those curious to know more about my dad. I had close friends and family, relatives and pals I’ve not seen for years, friends of friends, colleagues, neighbours, book club members, and people who stayed anonymous all donating. I hadn’t expected it to be so far reaching or anticipated what a difference it would make to my training, spurring me on in all weathers and however tired I was feeling to get out there and keep running!

Seeing the total tick over £2500, the average cost of a rescue, the day before the marathon was a massive boost, and really helped focus me the next morning to give the marathon my all. I felt so proud to be running in the bright red SMR t-shirt (which also made me easier to spot!) and cross the finish line in 3:42:22, bettering my Amsterdam time by over 15 minutes. And it kept going, with the JustGiving page reaching over £3200 in the days and weeks following!

My JustGiving page details: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jessica-barrett23

Medal at the finish line – credit Jess Barrett

What’s next for Jess?

I’m still running! I absolutely love it and am really enjoying being able to cover long distances thanks to all the training. I’m planning to do a couple of halfs this year, and would love to do another marathon at some point as well. I doubt I’ll ever get a ballot place at the London one again so to have had this experience has been really special and something that will stay with me, showing me what I can achieve, knowing how much love and support I have from people, raising funds that will make a big impact for such a great cause, and motivating me on to keep challenging myself and aiming high. And now I have some free time back I’m looking forward to getting out into the hills for some long hikes, and perhaps even climb a mountain or two!