Power of Running: Michelle Stone
This year’s AJ Bell Great South Run weekend is set to be the biggest for a decade with over 25,000 runners taking part over Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October. This year we’re celebrating the inspiring runners who are on their own route to victory as part of our Great South Run ‘Power of Running’ series.
Michelle Stone, soon to be 47, will be celebrating her birthday in a special way this year – by taking part in the Great South Run.
A resident of Chichester, Michelle is using the event to raise money for Positive Routes to Wellbeing C.I.C., the community interest company she founded in 2019 to support mental health in her local area.
The company offers a range of services, including funded counselling sessions for young people and adults who may not be able to afford private therapy or need help sooner than NHS sessions can provide.
“That’s one reason I love the Great South – we run as a community, and it’s always possible to make a friend along the way. I truly believe that we are stronger when we support each other, and that’s something we’re missing in the modern world.”
Michelle’s motivation to create her business and support mental health stems from personal experience.
“My mum had depression for my entire life, and my dad endured traumatic events in his childhood but didn’t speak about them until he was over 70. I’ve also had my own struggles with depression and phobias, and I’ve found the counselling space invaluable. Working as a secondary school teacher, I saw firsthand how young people’s mental health is being affected by so many factors in today’s world.”
She sums it up perfectly: “Running has all the components of building better mental health – movement, being outside in nature, especially by the sea, and being part of a community. That’s what the Great South Run does for me.”
The Great South Run, and Junior & Mini Great South Run, are now SOLD OUT. There’s still time to sign up for Saturday’s Great South 5k, but enter quickly here, as places are selling fast.
If you missed out on the Great South Run this year, sign up to the 2025 Reminder Service here and we’ll let you know when next year’s entries open.
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