How Wolf Run Helped Soph Find a Piece of Herself Again
When Soph arrived at the Spring Wolf Run 2026, she genuinely believed she might not make it around.
Not because she wasn’t tough enough but because life had slowly worn her down.
“I’m not a regular runner, far from it,” she said afterwards. “I’ve been sedentary for a long time and struggling with my mental health, so simply showing up felt huge.”
Two weeks before the event, a friend had signed her up for the 10k with absolutely no training.
Soph’s reaction was immediate.
“I CURSED that woman,” she laughed. “I told her my heart would clearly give up, my lungs would collapse and every unused muscle in my body would cramp during the warm-up.”
But underneath the humour was something real: fear.
Not just fear of the distance or the obstacles, but fear of failing publicly. Fear of not coping. Fear of confirming the voice in her head that had been telling her for a long time that she wasn’t capable anymore.
Because once upon a time, Soph had loved this sort of thing.
As a child, she thrived on muddy cross-country runs, steep climbs and difficult wild routes.
“I loved the challenge, the chaos of it,” she said. “Anything that made other people say ‘nope, not that way’ was usually exactly where I wanted to go.”
But adulthood slowly pulled her away from that version of herself. Years of avoidance, addiction, unhealthy coping mechanisms, and survival mode gradually replaced adventure and confidence with fear. Then came motherhood, which gave her a powerful sense of purpose and hope. But when COVID hit, the separation from the world and pressure of being a single mum at home slowly took its toll, leaving her feeling emotionally and physically stuck. Eventually, she was diagnosed with depression.
It wasn't a dramatic single moment of loss. It was a slow erosion, years of just getting through.
“My life had become sedentary, properly stuck, both physically and mentally.”
By the time Wolf Run came around, Soph says she felt disconnected from herself completely and she didn’t want to go through with the event.
Then came the phone call that turned it round.
Five days before the event, panicking after a practice jog that left her exhausted after less than a mile, Soph rang the Wolf Run contact number convinced she couldn’t do it. Nikki from the Wolf Run team answered the phone and listened.
“The woman who answered the phone changed everything,” she said.
“She explained how the day worked, reminded me I could walk the entire course, skip obstacles and even switch from the 10k to the 5k course on the day without judgement.”
Soph said, “I was given permission to just exist within the experience.”
For someone already battling anxiety and self-doubt, that mattered more than she could explain. Nikki heard Soph’s fears, met her where she was and helped replace panic with possibility.
“Honestly, that conversation nearly had me in tears.” She said.
Even so, when event day arrived Soph was still feeling on edge.
“I was moody, exhausted, emotional and probably unbearable to be around as we travelled to what genuinely felt like my death.”
But then she arrived.
And the atmosphere shifted everything.
“There were smiling faces everywhere. A sense of connection. A buzz in the air.”
Before her own run, Soph watched her son Josh take part in Junior Wolf with her brother Tom, and something inside her softened.
“I felt overwhelming pride watching them,” she said. “Seeing their determination and pure joy completely redirected my energy.”
Then suddenly, it was her turn.
“I found myself standing in the start pen with around 100 other people laughing, joking and warming up together. The energy was immense.”
And then they were off.
“I jogged the entire first kilometre,” she said. “Including jumping into icy water and wading across it.”
But what stood out most wasn’t just the course itself.
It was the people.
“People slipped, slid, stacked it spectacularly… and were immediately helped back up. No embarrassment. No pressure. Just humans helping humans.”
By kilometres two and three, the physical reality hit hard.
“My calf cramped, my ankles throbbed, my breathing went shallow and I started to panic.”
But her friends refused to leave her behind.
“They walked when I needed to, distracted me, grounded me and kept me moving.”
And slowly, something started changing.
“As my body stopped fighting me, my mind opened up.”
She noticed the laughter.
The teamwork.
The encouragement between strangers.
“The hands reaching out. A reconnection to humanity that I didn't even realise had faded as much as it had.”
Soph completed the full 5k course, skipping a few obstacles when she needed to, but getting around it nonetheless.
“I crossed the finish line muddy, exhausted and genuinely happy.”
After finishing she felt much lighter.
“What I’m left with is a sense of achievement, a spark of curiosity and a dangerous little thought forming: maybe I can do more.”
For Soph, Wolf Run became far more than a physical challenge.
It became proof that progress does not need to be perfect to make a big difference.
“This experience didn’t fix everything,” she said. “But it cracked something open.”
And perhaps that’s what makes stories like Soph’s resonate so deeply.
Not because she smashed every obstacle.
Not because she suddenly became fearless.
But because she showed up when she thought she couldn’t.
She discovered that sometimes courage is simply refusing to stay stuck.
“Community, kindness and encouragement can carry you far further than self-criticism ever will,” Soph said.
“And that feels like enough to keep going.”
We’ll see you at Summer Wolf Run, Soph. Anyone who want to follow her, or find out about more her work in the mental health sector please find her on Instagram under @sophhc