A 71-year-old woman whose passion for the race has taken every corner of the world attacks six of the most famous half-marathons in Europe.
Judith Porter, from Sedgefield, is now halfway through the challenge “Super Half Marathons”.
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Super half are a series of semi-marathon events across Europe. If you finish the six races within five years, you receive a special “supermedal”.
Events take place every year in Lisbon, Prague, Berlin, Copenhagen, Cardiff and Valence.
Judith at the finish line of the Copenhagen half-marathon. The first of Super Half’s trip. (Image: Judith Porter) Judith made a decision of the decision to start his race trip at the age of 55, when a work colleague, who had been diagnosed with arthritis, offered him a place in the Great North Run.
By training for the event, she joined Aycliffe Running Club to find “other people for whom to run” and participated in Aycliffe 10k in June 2009, before the Great North Run in September.
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Speaking of his decision to start running, Judith said, “It makes you feel happy that you can go out and run. This helps you stay in shape and encourages you to do so.
“If I had not started to run, I would not have met all my incredible friends who share the same passion. The people you meet all have stories and tell you about the races they have done, which is really interesting.
“The fact is that many people think they should just be able to go out and run, but you can’t.
“I started to make the parkruns which are great for beginners and now I try to make a parkrun for each letter of the alphabet. This is the best thing that has happened in my life. ”
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She finished the majors of the world marathon in 2019 and received her medal at the Boston marathon, in which she said that she had hardly participated because of a torn meniscus.
She decided to “try” and fortunately obtained her medal before the race is closed because of Covid.
She said: “I was so happy, because if I had not obtained it in 2019, 2020 was locking and I am not sure that it was managed in 2021, so it was pleasant to finally obtain this finish.
Starting point for the Lisbon half-marathon. (Image: Judith Porter) “I remember that New York was my first (marathon), and it is the most difficult because it has more inclination than you think. In Japan, I just remember having seen a sea of smiling faces and people who are tinking. They all had something different and it is a joy to finish them really. ”
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So far, Judith has completed three in the Super Half Marathons – Copenhagen, Lisbon and Valence series. The next on her list is Cardiff in October, then she will make Prague in the spring of 2026.
Judith said: “I had heard of the great half and I thought” it would be a good challenge “, because I like medals. I am not really disturbed by t-shirts, but I really like medals. These are beautiful places in Europe and after doing the six, you get a big medal that is even better.”
Unfortunately, the Berlin and Prague races fell on the same weekend, so a hip injury led him to postpone his entry into 2025 for Berlin until April 2027.
Throughout the challenge, Judith collected funds for the Rainbow Trust – a charity of children providing emotional and practical support to families who have a child with a deadly or terminal disease.
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“I ran the London marathon for the Rainbow Trust to get a place, so when I decided to do the Super Six, I chose to do so in charity and chose them again because they are a very nice charity that helps deserving families,” she said.
“I never did a lot for charity, but I have always sponsored other people. Unfortunately, one of my friends, who died, died, so another friend began to do a lot of events for cancer research, and I have always sponsored him too. ”
Judith also recently launched adventure half-marathons that took him to a jungle in Mexico, a volcano in Iceland, the Himalayas in Bhutan and the Polar Ice Caisse in Greenland. She said that the views she could see through was “more than what she would have imagined”.
She added: “It’s more unusual, but it gives me an excuse for a vacation where I meet people who also like to run, and it’s quite pleasant to have a challenge.”
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Recognition day for the half-marathon of the polar circle in Greenland. (Image: Judith Porter) She is impatiently awaiting her next adventure race that she does on New Year’s day next year, in New Zealand-the “first light” half-marathon. The event takes place in Gisborne, Aotearoa, which is known to be the first city in the world to see the sun every day.
“Even if I am older, I continue to get started.
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“In my last race, I did, I was next to it, but I was not disturbed because I was finished. I’m just happy because I did more than people sit at home on the sofa. ”
Realbuzz supports Judith in his race trip – they connected it to Rainbow Trust and help his secure places in each of the semi -marathon events.
Judith then takes place in the 10k leeds on August 17 and then flew to Budapest for their 10 km on September 7.
She will run in the Cardiff half-marathon on October 7 as she was next in the supernoon.
