Meet The Member - Gemma Keogh

This month we’re joined by Gemma, a volunteer in the Communications Team, and a club member since May 2024.

So Gemma, tell us who you are when you're not running?

When I'm not running my day job is working in health and safety for a train operator. If I'm not at work, I will either be at Stamford Bridge watching Chelsea because unfortunately I waste a lot of money on a season ticket there, cooking, or going to the theatre. 

How long have you been running for? 

I've been running pretty inconsistently for about five years, but a bit more consistently for the last two years.

And how long have you viewed yourself as a runner?

I would say I've viewed myself as a runner for about a year now; ever since I completed the London Marathon last year. 

What was it that made you first think about joining a running club? 

I got into running during the lockdowns, while I was getting consistent at it I was quite bored running by myself. So, I wanted to meet some like-minded people that shared that interest because my friends were getting pretty sick of me trying to convince them to come to a parkrun.

How did you hear about Queens Park Harriers? 

I grew up in the area so I always knew that Queens Park Harriers were a thing. But I thought that they were a super serious track and field running club and that's not something I'd ever done before. So I didn’t come along to my first session until after I'd run the London Marathon.

Having decided to give Queens Park Harriers a go, how did you feel in advance of that first session?

To be honest, I had no idea what to expect. I'd never done any track and field or athletics. So I didn't really know what running on a track was going to be like, I just thought we were going to run around in circles for about 45 minutes and then I was going to go home.

And how was that first track session? 

I found it very humbling. I think I was really worried about the pace. There were so many people there that were so much faster than me. And I think I was probably a little bit embarrassed. But when I came back the second time I realised there was absolutely no need to be because we're all running our own race, as cheesy as that sounds. 

At track no one's really worried about what anyone else is doing. You just run at your own pace. I'm still by no means the fastest at all but you find your little pace group and run together. I’ve never really found it an issue to just enjoy it and not worry about what anyone else is doing.

In your year with the club, what benefits have you seen from joining a running club? 

At the moment I'm training for the Manchester Marathon and one of the biggest benefits I've seen is how easy I find the training in comparison to when I trained for London last year. Not just in terms of my fitness and pace improving; more that since I've joined Queens Park Harriers running has become part of my routine. Pulling myself out of my house to do a speed session no longer feels like hard work because I come and do it at track. Or when I'm trying to keep my pace easy, it doesn't feel like that much of a challenge because I run with people. But the biggest benefit for me is the camaraderie of running and training with people as well. 

I've also got a lot of people to talk about training with too, because training for Marathon, does take over your entire life. But it means I get to see people when I go to parkrun on a Saturday, or going out for a run on a Wednesday, or see them at track. I’ve definitely met loads more people that I can run with and distract me whilst I'm running. And as I said, my friends are completely sick of me talking about running.

And with your time at the club, what has been the one standout highlight?

A couple of weeks ago, a load of us completed the Fred Hughes 10 miler. That was my first Club race and I really enjoyed the camaraderie of being part of a team running together and pushing each other through as it's a hard 10 miles. It's quite a long way and it's a hilly course. So we all helped each other and pushed each other over the finish line and I really enjoyed that.

What advice would you give to someone who's considering giving Queens Park Harriers a go for the first time?

I say, if you're thinking about it just do it, you obviously want to join a running club.

And don't do what I did by not coming back for four months! Be consistent, keep turning up and you'll see the benefits really quickly.

What are you looking forward to in the near future?

Currently, I'm working towards Manchester Marathon so I'm looking forward to that and seeing how I can build on what I've learned since joining the club, and how it compares to London a year ago.

And then at the end of the year, I am doing the Dublin Marathon, which I'm really looking forward to because most of my family live in Ireland. So I should have a big crowd there supporting me, and I get to run through where my grandparents grew up. So I'm really looking forward to that.

That’s about it for us, but if anyone wants to carry on the conversation, when are they most likely to find you at track?

I'm usually here on a Tuesday, I like to get the hard work out of the way early in the week.