Carole Loader: “Always find it difficult to describe myself other than I'm a little bit crazy!”
Carole is 47 and is always trying to challenge her limits when it comes to running. She’s been running since she was at school and did the usual track and cross country stuff and wasn't too shabby. However she ran out of love for it once she left school. She joined a club but all the coaches seemed to do in those days was shout at their young charges.
The First Ever Marathon
In 1993 Carole ran her first ever marathon - London - and totally under estimated how far it was and how very painful she would find it. She finished in around 5.25 and swore to never do another one....however, the following year Carole was back on the starting line! She completed London another couple of times over the following years, shaving around an hour off her previous time before deciding that she needed some help with training and joined Bournemouth Joggers. Since then Carole hasn’t looked back and she is still running with Bournemouth Joggers.
Change of Scenery
Carole can now proudly say that she has slightly reduced her marathon time down to 3.23.33 which was achieved in Boston 2011. She has run London around 15 times, with a best of 3.25.44 but has now very much grown out of love with road running, relishing the challenge, scenery, smells and sounds of the off-road so this is now where she does almost all her running / racing.
Accomplishments
Carole has completed around 68 Marathons, some of which were Ultras (official and unofficial) and she has also completed 6 sets of 3 Coastal Challenge Marathons over 3 consecutive days. In 2008 Carole decided to do a bit of good for others and ran from Lands End to John O'Groats, totally unaided, over a period of 10 weeks, raising in excess of £12,000. She subsequently wrote and published a book chronicling her adventure (Where Does That Footpath Lead?). 
In 2012 Carole ran 20 marathons and raised a further £10,000. Recently, Carole achieved her very first race win being first woman home in the Badbury Rings Half Marathon and had a Cheshire cat sized grin on her face for days afterwards.
The Clarendon
Clarendon is one of Carole’s all time favourite Marathons and she has completed the course on 4 or 5 occasions, even finishing 2nd and 3rd in consecutive years recently. “It's such a well organised and very friendly event with a brilliantly scenic route.” Remarked Carole “Plus I love the fact that a Relay and Half Marathon is able to take place at the same time (although I could probably just do it for the lure of Jelly Belly beans that are on offer!). The only curse is the hill up to Farley Mount - if those behind you are still running, you'd feel guilty if you slowed to a walk as they would have to do the same. So, I've worked out that the best idea is to ensure there's at least one person in front, then it's not your fault if you suddenly have to slow down 'cos they're walking....result!”