Home Is Where We Are

I remember one of the first times I ran up my trail on Vodno, in Skopje, North Macedonia. It was covered in butterflies and wildflowers and big insects, like buzzing bumblebees. You could smell the pine trees, and the sun was coming through them. I was thinking, this is amazing. It was just really good for your soul.

Maybe I noticed it more because we’d moved from Saudi Arabia. The biggest difference was the scenery. Skopje is very green, very mountainous, and Vodno was where I did my hiking, running and mountain biking. The mountain is covered in trails, and the Šar Mountains, where we went skiing, were about an hour’s drive away. It’s pretty beautiful, but the people are great too. Friendly, welcoming, open people. We embraced it.

The Yorkshire Dales

I grew up on a dairy farm in the Yorkshire Dales, which was perfect for an outdoorsy kind of life. I would go out to play with my cousins as soon as it became daylight, and I’d be out until it was too dark, then we’d all go home. I definitely think a lot of my love of the outdoors came from being in that environment.

The nearest town is Skipton, the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales. It’s very green, with lots of dry-stone walls, sheep and independent pubs that have been there for centuries. My dad and his brother ran the farm together, and my mum was a primary school teacher. My younger brother, Martin, has taken over the farm. He couldn’t wait to leave school and get involved. He lived for it and still does.

Running was my main sport. I started running competitively when I was about 11, continued through university and was captain of the running club there. I’ve always joined running clubs, no matter where I’ve lived. I moved to London in my early 20s for work and was there for 16 years.

Living Together

I was the CFO of a hedge fund in London. In 2013, the company said, let’s all do this London to Paris bike ride. I’d never ridden a road bike before, so I had a go and got better at it. I thought, if I’m going to learn how to ride properly, I may as well learn how to swim and do a triathlon. Then I could say I’d done one, neatly packaged and put away. I always thought I’d be one and done.

It turns out that was not the case. I had some swimming lessons, and I was a terrible swimmer, let me tell you. I joined the Greenwich Tritons and met some amazing people, including my husband, Josh. We met at one of the club’s run sessions, and it really took off from there. My first triathlon was in 2014. I loved being around a bunch of really nice people all trying to do their best, whatever their best meant on that particular day.

Josh is an engineer, and he’s lived all over the world through his work. We did long-distance for about three and a half years while I was in London and he was off in all kinds of places. Eventually, we decided enough was enough. Let’s live together in the same place. We moved to Riyadh and spent five years there, which we loved. If you got up early enough, you could ride into the desert, which is strangely beautiful. We met such hospitable, warm-hearted people through the triathlon scene. Seeing adults do their very first race and get a huge thrill from it was fab. We felt privileged to witness it.

Days in Skopje

We moved to North Macedonia when Josh took on a motorway construction project. I took early retirement from work, very early retirement, and started training pretty much twice a day because I could and because I loved it. I’d be trail running, running on the path along the river or at the running track in City Park. Sometimes I’d train with friends, sometimes alone. I’d be out on a bike, in the gym or doing Pilates. There wasn’t really an average week because I was mixing it up and doing all kinds of different things.

Josh might get a Sunday off and say he felt like going for a long mountain bike ride. I’d scrap my run and go with him. Being in nature gives me a special feeling that’s hard to put your finger on. I don’t know if it’s the fresh air, the bright colours, the peacefulness or a combination, but I feel like it’s a good antidote to many things in modern life.

Skopje was also easier for people to visit from the UK, and we had so many friends come out. My best mate from school, Kathy, and her partner visited twice for five days at a time. If I’d still been in London, we’d probably have seen each other for dinner every two or three months, just for a couple of hours. Instead, we hung out and had a really nice time together. I’ve come to treasure that quality time. I look at friends who’ve come to visit and how much closer I’ve felt as a result of being able to share this life with them.

Trying Something New

Living in North Macedonia, with its trail running scene and beautiful countryside for mountain biking, made me think I should have a go at XTERRA. I’d been doing Ironmans for years and wanted to mix it up. I entered XTERRA Vouliagmeni in Greece in 2025 and talked two Macedonian friends into coming. Before the race, the three of us were on the beach and asked someone walking past to take our photo. It turned out to be a guy I knew from the Greenwich Tritons about ten years earlier. I couldn’t believe it. It was such a small-world moment.

The town felt like it embraced the race. We’d go out for coffee or breakfast, and the waiters would ask what we were doing there. It was nice to feel their enthusiasm, although I think some thought we were completely nuts. I would never have gone to that part of Greece otherwise. The course was stunningly beautiful but tough, and I found myself very much outside my comfort zone. I’m good on a flat, straight road. I’m not so good when it gets bumpy, gravelly and muddy. I went to Austria afterwards for three days of mountain bike coaching because I wanted to get better. As an adult, trying to improve at something is really satisfying.

On the nice, cruisy, easy trails, I sometimes ride along thinking, I can’t believe I get to be here. This is so lovely. When it gets steep and rocky, I’m hanging on for dear life, trying not to fall off. It’s quite terrifying at times, but it’s good to practise. I also started working with Alexandra Borrelly after Greece. I’ve really enjoyed her knowledge and her holistic approach to nature, sport and general wellness. I enjoy the process of getting ready for a race as much as the race itself, if not more.