The Team

Ruby Riley

Ruby started running when she joined Chorley Harriers in Lancashire, aged around 8. Ruby stopped running during high school and college as she didn’t feel confident enough to run. Years later, as a university student living on the marathon route, she entered the London Marathon ballot after being inspired by those who ran past her house on race day.

Ruby got a place to run the London Marathon in 2017; It coincided with a mentally tough time, as she has had a complicated relationship with her mental health. Ruby had previously developed an Eating disorder during her teenage years. Subconsciously, acting out her greatest fear- “I hated throwing up, so I brought it onto myself. Striving to get the ‘perfect’ body plastered across social media and magazines, I lost myself”. Ruby found that exercising was, and still is, a huge release, and a way to cope with the harder days. Since running the London Marathon, Ruby has run races of various distances and terrain including road half marathon’s and trial runs of up to 20 miles a race. Ruby found that exercising was, and still is, a huge release, and a way to cope with the harder days and to equally, celebrate the good days.

 Confidence is still a hurdle Ruby wants to overcome. Being able to get out and swim, bike, run and focus on improving strength helps overcome anxieties; moving is comfort, a safe place. Through Triathlon, Ruby is gaining confidence in each discipline which she can translate into her everyday life. The same mantras she uses to get in the icy water, ride with tired legs to the top of the hill and run each mile also helps when she’s on a 12-hour shift on placement in a psychiatric hospital with university.

Through triathlon Ruby is aiming gain confidence and peace with herself whilst celebrating what her body can do now that she has overcome her eating disorder. To get faster, fitter, and stronger Ruby has recognised the importance of sticking to a structured training plan with incorporated rest days. Over the past couple of months, Ruby has seen vast improvements across the three disciplines of triathlon and is excited to compete in her first 70.3 Ironman in June.