Having never run more than 12km, Charlotte signed up for her first 50km ultra — and quickly discovered a passion for pushing her limits.
Since then, she has tackled 100km mountain races, learned valuable lessons about resilience and self-belief, and discovered just how much she’s capable of.
In the latest Seashell Spirit feature, we caught up with Charlotte to talk about her toughest race, the joy of helping others achieve what they once thought impossible, and the incredible views that make all those miles worthwhile.
What first drew you to ultra running?
I'd had a break from running for about 10 years and then found myself with an anxious puppy with separation anxiety. I thought running might be a great activity to do together, so we could both train and I didn't have to worry about leaving her alone. I then decided wanted to raise some money for the British Heart Foundation as I've had two heart surgeries myself. Only, I have the kind of personality where this wasn't going to be a typical fundraising run. At this point, I'd never run longer than 12km in one go...I entered a 50km ultramarathon that was 6 months away... I did my first in September 2020. It was cancelled due to covid, so I ran it around my local area. I half expected to be 'one and done' but I was hooked and it soon became a journey to exploring what I'm truly capable of.
What does endurance running teach you about yourself?
More than anything else has. It's taught me resilience, but it's also taught me that no one else but you can truly know what's right for you out on the course. There will be races where you know it's worth sacrificing everything to finish it, but there'll also be others that teach you that it's okay to not finish. There's a lot of stigma around a 'DNF' [did not finish] but DNFing a race when you know that it's really the right decision for you in that race is really brave and not something to be ashamed of.
What’s been your toughest race and why?
Ultra Trail Snowdonia 100km. My toughest but also my greatest achievement. I'd been made redundant two weeks before the race and was already planning on relaunching my run coaching after the race so there was a lot riding on the race. It was 100km through the mountains of Snowdonia with 6500m elevation. I was running for just over 25hours and this was one of those races I gave my all and somehow managed to compartmentalise the redundancy stress and figured I'd just deal with next steps after. The race landed on a heatwave, there were rumours of aid stations not having enough water and my fuelling plan didn't really go to plan. However, I thought 27 hours was realistic so to have finished in less than 26 was incredible. I remember sitting at an aid station at 80km in and turning to my husband and saying 'I'm going to finish this. I don't know how, but I know I will'.
What do you love most about helping someone achieve something they thought was impossible?
Hearing them speak so proudly about something they've achieved brings me so much joy. It's seeing their confidence and self belief increase that is so great. Yes, running stats are fun, it's nice to see the data but it's seeing how proud they are of themselves that really does it.
Best view you've ever run to?
This one is easy. The Alesch Glacier in Fiesch, Switzerland. This was during my last 50km in August 2025, such an incredible race! The entire race had the most stunning views and some gnarly suspension bridges to cross too! It's up there in my top 3 races.
Thank you for sharing your Seashell Spirit with us, Charlotte!
Charlotte is also a running coach, helping others discover their potential and achieve goals they once thought were impossible. Interested in working with Charlotte? Find her on Instagram.
Now get off the internet and get outside.
