I’ve decided to do a new mini-series on the inspirational women that motivate me to be a better runner, athlete, and all-round person. The first on my list is really an obvious choice: it was during the 2012 London Olympics that Jessica Ennis (now Ennis-Hill) first came to my attention. Back then I wasn’t anything more than the occasional runner, and I really didn’t have any passion for the sport at all. But seeing Jessica win gold in the Heptathlon, especially watching her cross the finish of the 800m, confirming her win, lit a fire in me to get more involved in sport.
For me, Jessica Ennis-Hill is a role model in that Heptathletes can be considered the ultimate modern athlete- a perfect balance of speed, strength and agility. Having watched many a documentary and feature on her (she’s a British national treasure, after all), has only reinforced my motivation. More recently she made headlines by winning gold in Beijing in 2015, just nine months after the birth of her son. If that doesn’t get you off your butt and out training, I don’t know what will!
So here are a few stats on my favourite Heptathlete
- Her PB in the 100m hurdles is 12.54 seconds- just think about that!
- She was voted Sportswoman of the Year in 2015
- She plans to retire from professional athletics in 2017 to have another child
- She’s a Vitality Ambassador, campaigning for people to be Everyday Athletes
- She’s been working with the same coach, Toni Minichiello, since she was 13 years old
- She still represents her local club, City of Sheffield AC
Below is a documentary made by the BBC ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympics, charting Jess’s story through the eyes of her coach. It’s really worth a watch!
So tell me, who’s your Woman Crush for this Wednesday? Who inspired you to run?
Lots of love,
Pippa
Pip in Motion 
Love your mini-series concept here! Cannot wait for the Olympics- they’re right around the corner! Also ps- super excited to visit the UK at the beginning of September for vacation. You live in a beautiful country! xo
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Ooh where are you going in the UK? It’s a pretty awesome country if I do say so myself, but watch out for the weather in September…literally no telling what it’ll be doing! The Olympics are pretty much gonna be a huge part of my life for the next few weeks…I know so much more about sport in general than in 2012, when they were hosted in London and I, ironically, didn’t care at all!
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What a great idea for a blog series – and you’ve started with my favourite! Can’t wait to see who else you have lined up (my other faves include Jo Pavey and, of course, Paula Radcliffe).
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Of course! I’ve got a ton lined up, seeing as all I seem to do with my spare time is insta-stalk my favourite athletes in the hopes of learning by some sort of osmosis…
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I love Jessica Ennis-Hill! I was rooting for her like crazy last Olympics. I tried to be a heptathlete in college but just could not get the form down for the new-to-me events (high jump and throwing, mostly), so I have mad respect for anyone that can excel in the shot put and the 800m.
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The 800m is insane. I remember seeing a track at school and thinking what’s so hard about running round that? And then I tried it. Once, and never again!
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She’s my women crush too 😉
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