Maddy is a 72-year-old runner, cyclist, mother of four, and grandmother to three. Her goal is to fight aging and show that we can do things long after we thought we couldn't.
Maddy has always enjoyed being outside since she was a child. At school, she enjoyed sports and spent a lot of time swimming with her brother.
Maddy has been running for more than four decades. She began running in 1977 at the age of 26. She was working for the military in a child guidance clinic in Munster, Germany.
Maddy was just running for pleasure, and prioritises her children after work. She was a social worker before becoming a teacher. She joined the Harriers in the 1990s and began running seriously in 1997–98. She has competed in every imaginable race, as well as loads that no longer exist.
In 2017, Maddy competed in over 30 races, winning the majority of them in her age category (V65). From 2004 to 2018, she ranked in the top 50 in the UK for her age group at distances ranging from 5K to marathon. She finished 14th among V65 women in the UK in the half marathon in 2017.
Maddy also finds time to coach and support other runners, and she has helped organise local parkruns. She set up Mansfield Runners in 2012 with Sue Bellingham's help. They started it when Run England was promoting beginner's groups. It is now a RunTogether group.
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Show notes
Who is Maddy
72 years young
Running since 27
Waiting for bi-lateral hip replacements
Her early years in the 1950s
Getting a TV when she was 7 yrs old
Getting a car when she was 11
Cycling everywhere
Getting into running while working in West Germany
The restrictions on women’s running and women not being allowed to run long distances
Starting to run every week around the woods
Why she loves running and being out in nature
Moving back to England in 1981
Signing up for the first Nottingham Half Marathon
Having 4 children between 1983 and 1990
Joining Mansfield Harriers
Running during pregnancy and after having children
Loving yoga and CrossFit
Dealing with injury
Going back to the early 1980s
1984 - when women were allowed to run the marathon
Taking 25 yrs of running before signing up for her first marathon
Running the London Marathon in 3hr 27mins (over 50)
Deciding to stop running road marathons
Training by herself
Effort Sessions every Tuesday and Thursday
Mindset and mental strategy while running
How times and knowledge have trained
Getting into coaching
The Stilton Stumble
Dealing with Osteoporosis
Why you need to keep moving when you have arthritis
Advice for new runners
How to connect with Maddy
Having younger running friends
The isolation that happens when your older
Entering the Bath Half
Women being veterans from 35
Being competitive
Counting while running
Embracing technology
Magical memory from running
Racing with her daughter in the Italian Alps
Social Media
Instagram @collingemaddy
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