Jessica Bailey represents GB at U20 in track and field, mountain running and XC. She has had a great year with PBs in every distance, running in two world championships and most recently the European XC Championships. However, she would consider her biggest accomplishment being her return to running following a stress fracture. "This many months to heal and it was over a year until I truly felt like the athlete I was before the injury. We chose to be patient and take it slow to protect my long-term career, but at times this was really frustrating and this return from injury tested me more as an athlete than any competition has. I am so proud to have made it through this period, knowing how hard it was and what it took."
Achieving a silver medal at the European XC Championships (U20 race) was a big moment for Jessica as it’s something she had been targeting. "I remember watching and being so impressed by the European XC Championships as a younger athlete, and to think I have now not only run there but got a medal blows my mind! For me, although I have always aimed to be a competitive senior athlete one day, this is one of the first times I have left a race thinking that maybe I can! There are many things in the way and lots of training to do before then, but it feels just little bit more possible than it did before."
"In the future I hope to earn my first senior GB vest and compete internationally as a senior athlete in major championships. Beyond my sporting career I want to transition into coaching in athletics and endurance running. I want to learn more about my sport and really understand the science behind it. Hopefully I can help other people achieve their goals, whether that be to simply get fit and run their first parkrun, represent their county or compete at a world championship.
GLL has made a big impact to my sporting career. Based in a small town in Cumbria, access and availability of sporting facilities were a big barrier to my training. Through GLL I had access to a swimming pool and gym as much as I needed. This was brilliant as I could really structure my training programme to be the best for me, rather than having to factor in the cost of all these sessions (and instead look for other less effective but cheaper alternatives). During recovery from injury at times I used my local GLL centre several times a day. The chance to train as much as required across a range of times in the day massively contributed to my successful return to athletics. Since I have used GLL facilities consistently to cross train in the pool and get stronger in the gym so I can be fitter, faster and stronger."
We look forward to following Jessica's journey!