Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a registered runner in 1967, is coming to the UK to tell her story. This is a rare, in-person, UK appearance for Kathrine. Join her, and listen to her tell the story of that infamous day, when a race director tried to throw her off the course because she was a woman. Find out what really happened and how this moment in time changed not only the course of her life but also played a pivotal role in the development of women’s running all around the world.

The 261 Fearless Club presents its Take The Baton Women’s Running Conference – a day of celebration, learning and motivation with high-profile speakers, panel talks and the opportunity to be a part of the future development of women’s running in the UK.

Key note speakers

• Kathrine Switzer: Kathrine was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a registered runner in 1967. The race director tried to throw her off the course because she was a woman, but this event changed not only the course of her life but also played a pivotal role in the development of women’s running all around the world.
• Sophie Power: Sophie is a renowned British ultrarunner, campaigner for women in sport, and mother of three. In 2018 a photograph of her breastfeeding her three month old baby whilst running a 106 mile mountain race went viral globally, as she was not permitted to defer her place for pregnancy.  Since then she has founded SheRACES, an international non-profit organisation dedicated to making races more accessible, inclusive, and equitable for women across sports. Sophie has recently set two Guinness World Records, for the fastest woman to run the length of Ireland (347 miles in 3 days 12 hours), and greatest distance covered on a treadmill in 48 hours (230.5 miles), both in aid of SheRACES. In October she will be representing Great Britain for the third time at the 24 hour World Championships
• Lisa Jackson: Lisa is a rather surprising cheerleader for the joys of running. Formerly a committed fitness-phobe, she became a marathon runner at 31, and ran her first 56-mile Comrades Marathon aged 41. But unlike many runners, Lisa’s not afraid to finish last – in fact, she’s done so in 25 of the 111 marathons and ultras she’s done so far. Having co-authored the best-selling Running Made Easy (which extols the virtues of run-walking), she wrote about her quest to join the 100 Marathon Club in her best-selling book Your Pace or Mine?, which won three Running Awards. Her latest book, Still Running After All These Tears: A Runner’s Journey Through Grief, will be published in January 2026. Now a columnist for UK Runner’s World, where she writes the Flamingo Diaries column, and the hypnotherapy expert on Women’s Running magazine, Lisa’s philosophy is that running really isn’t about the time you do, but the time you have while doing it.
• Roger Robinson: Roger is a writer, scholar, speaker, and elite runner originally from England, who became a leading academic in New Zealand. He has published widely on literature, including work on Katherine Mansfield and New Zealand writing, and is also known for his award-winning journalism and books on running. As a runner, he competed internationally for England and New Zealand, setting age-group marathon records and continuing to race competitively after knee replacement surgery. He is also a sought-after public speaker, often appearing with his wife, Kathrine Switzer, to inspire audiences around the world. His books on running, such as Heroes and Sparrows and Running in Literature, have become classics, blending deep knowledge with storytelling that resonates with athletes and readers alike. Roger has worked as a commentator at major international events, including the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics, bringing insight and warmth to his coverage. Throughout his career, he has balanced his passion for literature and sport, showing how running and writing can enrich each other and inspire a lifelong commitment to excellence.

Panel speakers

• Mel Bound from This Woman Runs: Mel, founder and CEO of  This Woman Runs (formerly This Mum Runs), is a community leader, coach, and tech‑for‑good entrepreneur recognised as one of Meta’s Top 16 most impactful community builders in the world. After overcoming chronic asthma as a child and rebounding from serious back surgery and postnatal depression, she launched her first run with 75 women in Bristol in 2014, sparking a global movement of over 250,000 runners in 80+ towns and cities. Today, Mel leads on community strategy, digital coaching programmes like Run30™, and major partnerships including Forestry England and Sport England.
• Tasha Thompson from Black Girls Do Run UK: Tasha is a British-Jamaican runner, speaker, mother and founder of Black Girls Do Run UK. She started the community in 2019 to make running more visible, inclusive and empowering for Black women. With nearly 26 years of running experience and marathons in London, Paris, Brighton and Sierra Leone, Tasha leads by example — showing that sport is for everyone, no matter your pace or background. Through mentoring and public speaking, she creates safe spaces, shares stories and inspires Black women and girls to take up space in sport — joyfully and unapologetically.
• Jessica Milloy from Asian Girls Run: Mum of three, triathlete and two times marathon runner, Jessica is also personal trainer, proud ASICS Front Runner and founder of Asian Girls Run. She started the group in July 2024 to create a space where Asian women could feel seen, supported, and confident to start their own running journeys, no matter their fitness level. It began with thirty women doing relaxed 2.5k runs and today, it’s a growing community of over two hundred members, with run clubs in New Malden and East London cheering each other on through the first 5ks, 10ks, and even the London Marathon.  Asian Girls Run isn’t just about fitness, it’s about showing up for each other, building confidence together, and proving that we all belong in these spaces. From our very first 10k to our biggest race days, the shared wins are what inspire Jessica to keep going.
• Juliet McGrattan from 261 Club UK: Juliet is a former NHS GP with 22 years of medical experience who reinvented herself as an international speaker, award‑winning author, educator, and menopause running specialist. After discovering the transformative health and mental benefits of running during her journey as a mother of three, she left clinical practice to empower women—especially through midlife and menopause—with tools to stay healthy, confident, and active. She’s the author of two celebrated books, “Sorted: The Active Woman’s Guide to Health” and “Run Well”, and serves as Women’s Health Lead and Master Coach for the 261 Fearless global running network.

Hosts

Holly Taylor from Women’s Running Magazine and the 261 Club UK team.

Holly Taylor is the Digital Editor of Women’s Running magazine and the co-host of the four-time award-winning Women’s Running podcast. She started running in 2020 after, somewhat impulsively, signing up for the Bath Half Marathon with colleagues. Five half marathons later and she’s just completed her first ever London Marathon, fully falling in love with running in the process. She’s passionate about making running safer and more accessible for women of all backgrounds, working to empower more women to take up space in the running community.

When

Saturday 13th September 2025. 09:15am to 16:30pm

Where

Whitelands Farm Sports Ground, Bicester OX26 1AJ

Price £55 – includes coffee, pastries, hot lunch and activity session

Book

https://261clubuk.co.uk/261-club-uk-womens-running-conference-2025/