How a running club is helping lawyers talk about mental health

When I’m running, it can feel easier to open up to a stranger than somebody I’m close to.

It’s a strange thing, but when I run with another lawyer, we’re not looking at each other, and we don’t need to. We’re just focusing on what we’re doing, enjoying the weather, and that naturally leads to offloading whatever’s on our minds.

Ultimately, everyone has a reason why they run, and at some point, they’re going to explain what it is.

That’s what happened when I ran the Chester Marathon a few years ago.

Halfway through, a lady told me that she decided to run for charity after her young child had died. As someone who’d been through three miscarriages, hearing her story made me an emotional wreck. I couldn’t cope with hearing it.

She then asked me, ‘why are you running?’. I was running to raise money for Alzheimer’s UK, but in that moment, I couldn’t speak. I’d never spoken to anyone about my dad, his dementia, and how bad his condition was.

But the lady stayed with me, and eventually I talked to her. I felt so much better for sharing the feelings I had kept bottled inside.

That experience, talking to a stranger about such big and personal moments in my life, was one of the reasons I started LegalRunner – a running club for the legal community.

In the legal profession, there’s still a stigma around mental health.

We need safe spaces where lawyers can speak openly with people who understand their experiences; where they can feel a positive sense of community and know that they’re not alone.

Starting LegalRunner

LegalRunner began after lockdown, when I’d started running to improve my own health.

In 10 months, I made the journey from couch to marathon – training on my own, losing two and a half stone along the way – and I was keen to run with other people.

Initially, I joined a local running group and built nice relationships with people, but as a conveyancer, a lot of people didn’t understand my work. It took a long time to give them context!

I thought, “wouldn’t it be nice to run with other legal professionals who already understand what I do? We don’t have to give any background information. We can just run and talk about what it’s like in the legal world, in the office, in the court, or anything else”.

I shared my idea with LawCare, the legal community’s mental health charity, and they agreed to provide our first LegalRunner tops, with the proceeds supporting their work.

The first person who signed up to our group was Jamie Baulch, an Olympian and world champion in running. He has a connection to the legal profession, but I couldn’t believe he wanted to join.

Jamie was quickly followed by others who were complete novices.

Today, we have 43 contacts around England and Wales, with little running groups in Plymouth, Northumbria, Sheffield, Chester, Norwich, Bristol – you name it!

Finding the right pace

Being around runners of such different levels means it’s really important to have benchmarks and the right people around you.

You run with people at a similar pace to you, whether that’s a fast group, a slower group, or a walking group.

If you’re a beginner, you can get inspired by the great athletes, but your own goals and journey are just as important, and everyone encourages each other.

LegalRunner is about community and talking, so you also need to move at a pace that’s comfortable and which allows you to still chat to others.

And once you start, you’ll find you can achieve far more than you ever realised, if you don’t push yourself too hard or set unrealistic expectations.

Once you’ve broken your first 5K, that's huge. Then if you can get to 10K, nothing can stop you because it's just a natural transition from five to 10 to a half-marathon.

It makes me smile when I see people who don’t have running experience or who lack self-confidence suddenly talking and engaging with people.

I recently went with a member of staff from the Law Society to her first group run, and she loved it. She walked, ran and got such a buzz from speaking to and meeting people.

I’m like a tortoise, slow and steady

Running is therapeutic for me – it relaxes me when I’m caught up in the stresses of the legal world.

On a long-distance run, your body is telling you to stop, your mind is telling you to stop. But if you persevere and break through, the satisfaction you get from just getting past that lamppost or getting to that finishing line, it's fantastic.

My strength is endurance. I’m like a tortoise, slow and steady, but I keep going, just grinding it out – often overtaking people who went off too quickly at the beginning. You learn that it’s all about timing and looking after your body.

When I’m running with others, there are days when I want to talk and days where I just want to listen. But when I just feel like listening, it’s comforting to know that someone else is talking.

When you finish a run, it almost feels like your conversation never happened.

It’s a strange phenomenon because you’ve now drifted back into more normal chatter, but in a short time you’ve got what you needed to say off your chest.

I actually think running led me to become president of the Law Society. It made realise that if you set yourself a goal, you can achieve it through little steps.

There have also been physical benefits. When I was training for my first marathon, I felt more energetic. Life wasn’t as doom-and-gloomy as it once seemed.

LegalRunners are there for each other

Now that I’m Law Society president, travelling is a big part of the job which means I’m going on international runs.

I’ve already run with fellow law society presidents, solicitors and judges in Australia and Mexico, which has been brilliant. In those short runs, you learn so much about people.

I’m also keen to use my platform to grow LegalRunner, helping more lawyers to improve their wellbeing.

The beauty of seeing groups pop up across the country is hearing the impact that running and talking is having on lawyers, during and after the runs.

Whether it’s Bristol or Newcastle, many people go for coffee after their run or have a social event.

When I first became a solicitor, I saw a drinking culture in parts of the profession.

Going to the pub is still fine in moderation, but it’s great to have different options, so we can be more inclusive and look after ourselves.

Most of my regional contacts for LegalRunner are junior lawyers, so it’s good to see positive changes happening in our profession.

Having a wider impact on culture, within law and on wider society, is part of the ethos of LegalRunner.

If you’re running to raise funds for a charity like LawCare, your motivations extend beyond yourself, and you’re able to support others too.

And just by attending a group run, you're helping and supporting your colleagues. You’re saying, “I’ll stand with you, I’ll run with you and be part of a community”.