We are delighted that Meryl has joined our BRIT Ambassador family.
Meryl is an ultra-trail running athlete who represented Great Britain at the 2019 Trail World Championships. Having now returned to Scotland after living and working overseas, Meryl is focussing on training to represent Great Britain again in 2021.
"It is a pleasure to be joining the BRIT Ambassador family to support and improve young adult mental health throughout the UK. Having worked as a PE Teacher and pastoral leader for 12 years, I have seen first-hand that mental health is affecting the lives of so many students and young adults. As a health, lifestyle and running coach, I am passionate about helping others to overcome challenges with a more healthy, active and fulfilled lifestyle; I am both excited and delighted to be able to support students and staff at the University of St Andrews and University of Edinburgh as they take on their BRIT 2021 Challenge.
The British Inspiration Trust’s BRIT 2021 Challenge is a great way to unite students and young adults wherever they are (at home or on campus) through an inspiring challenge to improve mental health and fitness. It is also a super feel-good opportunity to raise vital funds for five charities who support young adult mental health; PAPYRUS – Prevention of Young Suicide, Nightline Association, Student Minds, The Charlie Waller Trust and BRIT. This means that all donations raised by the BRIT 2021 Challenge will be shared equally between the five mental health charities.
I hope every UK university, college and students’ union in Scotland embraces and champions the BRIT 2021 Challenge and encourages their students and staff to participate. Once a university or college has entered a team, students and young adults of all abilities can then contribute distance to their team’s 2,021 mile target.
I will do all I can to invite fellow athletes in Scotland to join our BRIT Ambassador family and help encourage every university and college in Scotland to enter teams. This is a great opportunity for students, young adults, universities and colleges in Scotland to unite in support of young adult mental health.”
Meryl grew up in the countryside on her parent’s farm in Aberdeenshire and always loved being active and running around. Her love for sport continued and she pursued a career as a PE Teacher in Secondary Schools.
For the past six years, Meryl has been living and working in Dubai and Spain. She has returned to Scotland and now lives and trains near St Andrews.
Meryl’s main discipline is ultra-trail running (over hills and mountains) and she prefers distances of 65 to 100 kilometres. In training she continues to improve her 10K and half marathon times and race shorter ultra distances like 50K hill and mountain races.
She only started competitive ultra-trail running in 2018 and one of her biggest achievements was representing Great Britain at the Trail World Championships in 2019. That same year, Meryl competed at the Courmayeur Champex Chamonix and the UT Cape Town, and raced against extremely competitive and experienced trail runners.
Meryl’s ambition is to focus on her preferred distances of 65 – 100 kilometres and continue to climb up the world rankings so that she can compete for Great Britain again in 2021.
Coaching helped Meryl go from living life with stress and long working hours to establishing a much healthier balance between sport, work and other important areas of her life. Her physical health has drastically improved and she is better equipped with the internal resources required to bounce back easily from challenges and setbacks.
Meryl’s passion is helping other people to overcome challenges and live a more healthy, active and fulfilled life. Since 2019, Meryl officially started coaching as a profession, alongside her training as a GB ultra-trail runner. She is a certified Health Coach and NLP Coach and provides health, lifestyle and running coaching online and from her base in St Andrews, Scotland.
For more information about Meryl, please visit her website.
For more information about Ultra Trail running in Great Britain, please visit the England Athletics, Trail Running Association, GB Ultras and the Run Ultra websites.
For more information about the GB Team, please visit the British Athletics website.