I moved to Townsville in March 2024 (7 months pregnant) without knowing anyone in town. My partner’s family, whom I also hadn't met in person yet, was from up here, and we thought it would be a good idea to be closer to them to get some support with our first baby coming soon.
When we started looking for a pram, my partner insisted on getting a running one so he could take her on runs and stay fit too. His dad highly recommended the mountain buggy terrain as it was the one they used when they had him and used it everywhere. So we followed his recommendation and they actually gifted it to us 🤍
Before giving birth I started to look for other mums or mums to be in town to connect with but I found it very hard. Very different community to what I was used to in all my years in Australia (7).
I had Blue in May 2024 and after a month and a half of being immersed in our love bubble, I came into the motherhood reality and realised how lonely I was.
I always loved to be active and feel healthy so as soon as I was ready I got on the move. Running was never really my thing but since we had the running pram already I thought I’d give it a go. Of course, my partner never took her for a run so we had to make some use of it 😅.
I realised how much blue loved it and every time she couldn’t sleep that was the saving grace, take her on a run in nature so my mountain buggy became my new best friend. I started with a few km and after a couple of months, I was already running for more than an hour. I even signed up for my first half marathon which I ran in August this year and a trail run in September (both without the pram of course, I am not that good😅) which were big personal achievements.
It got so much into a habit that my partner suggested starting a mums and bubs run club since I wanted to meet other mums in the area. At the beginning I was a bit sceptical about it, I guess I was just scared to expose myself. I also told him ”I’m sure there is someone else out there doing it already” but there wasn’t. So I thought maybe it is not a bad idea, I would be offering something new to the community which would not only help me meet new mums but also mums who enjoy running like me. And above all that, it will also help me get back to creating social media content, which is what I used to do before getting pregnant, and keep myself updated for future business projects. So after some weeks of having the idea in my head, I decided it was worth a try.
How has the club grown & what are my goals towards it?
I started the club in March 2025 with 0 followers and of course 0 runners. Today, after 1 and a half years, I have 247 followers on my Instagram account, 10 members in my WhatsApp mums & bubs run club group and 3 runners who have been consistently showing up to my runs. I know it doesn’t sound much but for me it’s a lot. I was so scared of not having anyone interested that this just confirms that if you put energy into it anything can work, and I am not even putting my 100% because being a full-time mum already requires most of my time and energy.
My goal has always been to meet new mums and create a little community where we can spend time together with or without kids and share our motherhood journey as well. So far I feel like I’ve achieved it.
Apart from the runs we’ve also been organising events, from day trips and festivals to races together which has been great fun.
It’s also been very rewarding to see how much some of the mums have achieved and how grateful they are to me. I’ve received some beautiful texts about how much I’ve helped and inspired them to get into this habit and recover their fitness which makes me feel very happy and proud of myself because I am not only offering something that helps me grow but also helps other people grow which is very fulfilling.
And the best part about it is that I don’t even have to force it or try to sell anything because this is now part of my life and who I am. I am completely transparent about the content I share in my account. Whenever I meet a new mum at a playground, playgroup or café, I mention the run club and they always love the idea. Some want to join straight away, as if they had been looking for something like this, and some others might not like running but still love the idea and join for the post-run coffee, which is great too because we still get to connect.
What does being part of a motherhood community mean to you?
It means a lot to me, I feel that every mum should have a mum network/community/group, whatever you want to call it, especially for the ones who don’t have close family around. The first year of being a new mum was the most beautiful yet the hardest time of my life and no one should have to get through it alone. I will always be grateful to have my in-laws so close but I believe that friendship and socialising are just as important as family and if they are mums too, even better.
Everything is better with other mums around and you would be surprised at how many are on their own and struggling. That’s why I am so glad I had the courage to start the run club and even though it hasn’t grown a lot yet, and maybe it never will, at least we’ve already created a little community and friendship to support each other that will last forever.
