By Ruth Overton August 2026
I joined what was then the Victoria Park Vixens around 1995, I think. A recent ex-smoker, I decided I needed to get fit, so I took up running to heal my lungs and quite frankly, because my mother was fitter than me! A flier in a local pub, followed by a chat and a pint with Carole, the founder, led me to a warm welcome to the Vixens. Subsequently, we became the Hackney Women Harriers, in order to be a stand-alone women’s running club, and it was fab – there wasn’t another club like us! We had a load of fun together and found a great and safe group of women to run with. The club was a place where we could be ourselves, have a laugh and support each other’s growing fitness, competitive spirit and running legs. There were races and injuries, romance and heartbreak – all the highs and the lows. It instilled in me a love of running, which I still do today, three kids & nearly 30 years later; can’t be bad, eh?
Front row, l to r: Kath Brigg, Bev Reynolds, Cindy Le Bideau, Liz Coy, Ruth Overton, Carole Lucas, Jane Coleman, Mary Gill. On the wall: Suzanne Chiechomski. London, 1993 © Carole Lucas
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