Running on Air - Event Report

The excitement had been building in Woodbridge, and throughout Suffolk, for our visit from Sophie Raworth to The Riverside this evening. 

 

It was the first hot and sunny day of what was forecast to be a sweltering Bank Holiday. Fortunately the cinema was cool and welcoming for our capacity audience.

 

Tickets sold out weeks earlier, and a number of running groups had arranged block bookings! Tickets were £20 (including a signed copy of 'Running on Air' RRP £20) and one further ticket could be purchased for £12 (without the book).

 

Sophie arrived early in order to sign the 200+ copies of her book 'Running on Air' which would be handed to the audience as they arrived. 

 

But she loitered in the sunshine for a while before getting to the signing table after seeing her name up 'in lights' on the cinema hoarding outside, and taking photos. She was similarly excited to see the interior - The Riverside is a beautiful venue, now 111 years old. 

 

Sophie was joining us to talk about her passion - could it be said obsession - with distance running, and how the sport has given her confidence, strength and resilience despite only taking it up 15 years ago, in her 40s. 

 

She shared pictures from her album of her running story - with young children, taking part in the Great North Run, and completing the 150 miles of the Marathon de Sable across the Sahara Desert.

 

A journalist and BBC news presenter, for the past 20 years she has worked on BBC News at One, Six and Ten, as well as BBC Breakfast. She has fronted many of the key televised events over the years - from the funeral of Queen Elizabeth and Royal Weddings to Remembrance Sunday, the London Olympics and Chelsea Flower Show - as well as documentaries and current affairs programmes.

 

She only took up running in her 40s after seeing a friend complete the London Marathon. On Sophie's first attempt she collapsed two miles from the finish line. She has since completed all seven World Marathon Majors, 23 marathons and three ultra-marathons. She's run the entire length of the Thames Path, from source to sea and participated in the Man vs Horse race in Wales.

 

And her approach to taking on such challenging races has been translated into her workplace - she shared how in a big interview with Boris Johnson, then the Prime Minister, she prepared in just the same way as she would for a marathon. And was even rewarded with a can of Coke when the job was done, just as she is with big runs. 

 

It was a fabulous evening. She is a very fluent, confident, engaging and entertaining speaker and hugely inspiring. Whether or not we want to take on a long distance run ourselves, she is determined that we should all know that we can do much more than we ever believe just by putting one foot in front of the other.

 

There was a long queue at the end of the evening to receive dedications in the book and everyone had a story they wanted to share with Sophie about their own challenges and achievements. It was a very positive, buoyant atmosphere and we were sorry not to have more time with Sophie - there was so much more to find out about her fascinating life. But everyone went away with a great book to read and enjoy.

 

I received some lovely comments from audience members after the event:

 

Just a note to say how much I enjoyed your interview with Sophie Raworth. It was a wonderfully inspiring event and created such a positive vibe in a packed cinema. I got so much more out of 'Running on Air' having heard Sophie speak; it was very immersive! Thanks for a lovely evening. D

 

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the event last night. The conversation seemed to flow really well and it was a joy to be in the audience. Very many thanks. G

 

What an amazing woman! Great interview and she came across just as warmly as she does on screen. A lovely evening. J

 

A fab evening! It flowed beautifully. Thought Sophie was great and everyone in the signing queue was very positive about it. Well done! C

 

Last night was a triumph. Sophie was so kind, natural and inspiring...also funny! I came home feeling so positive about the world. You interviewed her superbly, gently probing and she just went with it because she obviously felt comfortable with you. A

 

I thought Sophie was great. The two of you had a lovely rapport. I thoroughly enjoyed it and almost thought about taking up running... E

 

I would like to thank you very much for arranging and organising the fabulous evening with Sophie Raworth. She was an absolute delight and I could have listened to her for hours. J

 

An excellent evening. Thank you. G