A WOMAN who took up running just over two years ago has been selected for England for the second time.

Matfen’s Jeannie Brady ran a time of 3:10:58 at the Yorkshire Marathon, finishing as the 25th highest placed woman in the field and fifth in the female 45 category, securing a place in the England team which will compete against the Celtic Nations at the Yorkshire Marathon next year.

Remarkably, the Yorkshire event was the first time Jeannie had ran a marathon. Earlier this year, she qualified to represent England in the half marathon at the British Masters in Maidenhead in September.

However, she had to pull out with an injury just weeks before.

Jeannie said: “I didn’t expect to qualify, it was my first marathon. I qualified for a half marathon in June, but I got injured at the Jelly Tea Race two or three weeks before I was due to compete. I tore my calf and I was out for about four weeks. I was gutted, it’s always horrible to be injured.

“I have a coach now to try and stop getting injured. It’s absolutely loads better, I’ve learned so much and I’m much more careful. I’m making sure every training session matters. Hopefully, it will mean I can run for longer.”

The Tynedale Harrier’s qualification for England is made all the more impressive by the fact that she is a relative newcomer to the sport.

She initially joined the Jog on the Tyne initiative to get involved with social running.

After gradually improving, she ventured into cross-country and joined Tynedale Harriers, where she has developed as a competitor.

“I can’t believe I’ve become quite sporty,” Jeannie continued. “I used to arrange my music lessons at school to clash with PE so I didn’t have to go.

“I’m really enjoying it. My youngest child started school and I had a little bit of extra time.

“I thought ‘what am I going to do?’ and I just suddenly had the desire to get fitter. There’s opportunities to compete in age groups, which is great because there’s still a way to compete and do well.

“I really love it. More people should do it.”