Sara Force has certainly lived up to her name because she’s one of the driving forces at Angels Running Club.

She is currently their captain and has previously served as club secretary, communications officer and as a run leader.

She also usually coordinates the marshalls for the club’s annual 10K, although she missed this year’s event because she was away, and she was one of the main people when the club first started running Couch to 5K.

“I’ve done quite a lot of roles,” she said with some understatement. “I’ve been on the general committee for many years.”

And what makes it all the more impressive is that she didn’t join the club – the only affiliated all-female running club in Gloucestershire – until 2013, although she had been running for more than 10 years before that.

“I started running in 2002,” explained Sara, who is 54. “I had two small children and I found it was good for my mental health, it got me out of the house.

“My first race was Race for Life at Cheltenham Racecourse. I’d never even done Couch to 5K, I think I completed it in something like 32 minutes.”

Her PB for 5K is well over five minutes quicker than that – 26.40 – so she has come a long way since then.

She loves being part of Angels Running Club, of course, but she still looks back on those early days with fondness.

“It was before mobile phones,” she said. “I’d train on my own and I used to drive a route to make sure it was five kilometres!”

The 5K is just one of the distances that Sara is happy to run. She’s a regular on the a parkrun circuit and is now close to reaching 250 parkruns.

She also runs plenty of 10Ks and half-marathons and on top of that has completed two marathons.

“I ran the London Marathon in four hours, 55 minutes, 37 seconds in 2019,” she said. “I ran it for the charity Maggie’s after my husband Steve died.

“They were a great support for him, I was determined to do a good time.”

Steve was a keen cyclist – he rode for Eastgate Cycles – but had also started doing parkruns.

Sara, who lives in Barnwood, usually runs the Stratford Park parkrun in Stroud and she plans to run and run for as long as she can.

Her partner Nick Allen is a keen member of Severn Athletic Club and enjoys his running just as much as Sara.

But while Sara loves to run, it’s more than that.

“Angels have been my lifeline,” she said. “I find it fascinating because they are an all-female running club.

“I think there is something about women encouraging and empowering each other. Women support each other.

“I think, particularly back in 1988 when the club was formed by Inger Baud, some women didn’t have the confidence to run with men.

“Men naturally have a strength and speed advantage which can be intimidating for women.

“Angels Running Club understands the difficult challenges that some women face when it comes to running.”

Sara has written a short history about Angels on the club’s website and while they have an impressive history, the club have a bright future as well.

“We meet at Plock Court at 6.15 every Wednesday evening,” continued Sara. “We’ve got about 50 members and that’s a number that works because we all know each other.”

Quite a few of them, Sara included, plan to run the Brighton Marathon on Sunday 12^th April next year, while a good number will be taking part in the Berlin Half Marathon on Sunday 29^th March.

“A group went to Dubrovnik last year as well,” said Sara. “Inger’s vision wasn’t just about running and it was far more than just fitness.

“Her vision was to give women the confidence not just to run but the confidence to do things together.

“It opened up a new world which allows women to travel and have a sense of community.”