PROUD mum Emma Allsop will be stepping out for tomorrow’s Seef Mall Half Marathon pushing her daughter Aoife along in a buggy for a wheelly-momentous challenge.
In preparation for the event stunned runners in the Seef area have spotted a new set of wheels keeping pace with them on 8km to 15km-long training sessions.
Allsop, a 43-year-old British expat who moved to Bahrain with her husband and two-year-old daughter in October, is looking forward to tomorrow’s race which kicks off at 7am.
“I got back into running in London when the Covid-19 lockdown started since it was one of very few outdoor activities we could still do,” the Seef resident told the GDN.
“Aoife has been loving the experience for the most part! She used to just fall asleep when I started with three to four kilometre runs but now that she’s a bit older, she is much more active in the buggy but she stays entertained and especially loves it when other runners join us!”
Allsop, a racehorse vet who is taking a break from her career, will again be running with her daughter in a specially-adapted buggy, and is hoping to inspire a love of exercise amongst fellow new parents and their children.
The runner, who became a mother two years ago, is no stranger to endurance events, having biked in the Cape Town Cycle Tour and the Double Century cycle race, as well as competing in a number of half-Ironman and Olympic-length races.
Allsop riding during the Durban Half Ironman in South Africa
“I swam competitively as a child, and then took up biking and even trained for a number of triathlon events, but I had to take it slow getting back into running with Aoife,” she explained.
“I go running four times a week now, paired with a few gym sessions. We got a special buggy designed for running, with larger wheels and a robust suspension system.”
Allsop will be looking forward to making new friends during the race too.
“We will be the ones who will have a handy stash of healthy snacks and water in the buggy, as well as running episodes of Peppa the Pig!” she said, encouraging fellow runners to say ‘hello’ during the 21.1km race.
The event, organised by the Bahrain Road Runners, will start from the Toys R Us near Seef Mall and runners will have three-and-a-half hours to complete the run.
Prizes of BD300, BD200 and BD100 will be awarded to the top three male and female runners, with trophies awarded to the top three finishers in each age group.
There is no prize for the mum and baby race ... yet.
Registration for the event is now closed and results will be shared on social media.
naman@gulfweekly.com