New Dunfermline running club 'United By Miles' takes off

Started by experienced runner 25-year-old Ellie Forrester and 27-year-old PT Michael Haddow in September last year, United by Miles is a free club that is giving runners of all abilities a chance to get out and meet like-minded people in a fun-filled environment. 

Ellie told the Press: "It was myself and my friend Michael that set it up. Basically, I had been to a couple of running clubs in Edinburgh of a similar vibe that was not really an athletic club but more of a social club, and I just felt that there was kind of a gap for that in the Dunfermline community. 

"I went to do my jog leaders course and put a post on Facebook saying ‘Would anyone be interested if I started this social run club once a week?' - the post blew up and that's when Michael reached out.  

"Michael is a fully qualified PT so he said he had always been looking to start something like this so it just really helped.

"It was the best kind of pairing in a sense, I've got the running background and he’s got the fitness background."

Meeting three times a week, on a Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, United by Miles offers its members a chance to push themselves while still enjoying each session. 

Ellie continued: "It's kind of like an all-inclusive social running community rather than a club, there's not a focus on pace or how fast anyone goes, it's more just about meeting likeminded people and enjoying it rather than running for a competition or race or stuff.  

"Saying that, we’ve got a lot of people from the club training for events. We've got a team of 30 plus going to the Edinburgh Marathon at the end of May.

"It’s kind of chill vibes but we also encourage people to push themselves as well. It’s all about fun rather than anything else."

For more information on United by Miles, follow them on Facebook or Instagram.