World-record breaking steeplechase runner Kirstie Booth is determined to defy her age and continue setting personal bests as she prepares to race in the first-ever British Milers Club (BMC) wave at the 2024 Vitality Westminster Mile on Saturday 21 September.
Kirstie will run in London for the first time when she joins the BMC wave at the Vitality Westminster Mile, which is being held for the first time this year to mark the 70th anniversary of Roger Bannister becoming the first person to run inside four minutes over the iconic distance.The 46-year-old has taken a less than conventional route to top-level athletics – having been a full-time hairdresser in Wellington, in Somerset, until she was 38.
Kirstie said several health issues made her reconsider her career path and 12 months later she was competing in Half Ironman events and the Age Group World and European Championships overseas. However, she soon found her strength lay in athletics and over middle-distance events specifically.
A member of Taunton Athletics Club, Kirstie has been whittling down her personal bests (PBs) over distances from 400m to 5K to the point where those times are not just PBs but national and world records.
In the past two years she has set a new women’s over-45s British record for both the 1500m (4:33:11) and 3000m (9:51:45) indoors, and a world Masters record for 2000m steeplechase (6:50:81). She has also won a gold medal at the European Masters Championships for 2000m steeplechase.
After recovering from a broken foot, Kirstie is looking forward to testing herself alongside other Masters athletes at the 2024 Vitality Westminster Mile on Saturday 21 September, albeit in an event that is new to her.
“I have never really run a mile this like before and what a great event to do it,” said Kirstie. “I broke my foot earlier this year in training and my season never truly got going. My love for the steeplechase brought me naturally to 1500m and one-mile running, and this is a great way to refocus as I return to full fitness. I have always wanted to run in London and a road run made sense ahead of the back end of the season.
“The prospect of running in London is really exciting. My partner and I have supported at the London Marathon and at the time I thought, ‘I fancy doing five minutes of that!’ I am not sure how I am going to approach it, but my coach (Charlotte Fisher) said, ‘Just run.’ It will be weird running 1500m pace off track, and it will seem quicker on a road.”
While Kirstie ran at school, she did not return seriously to it until she turned to triathlon in her 30s. She joined Taunton AC and made friends that inspired her to challenge herself and not let age prevent her from achieving her goals.
“I am still setting PBs and assume I will keep improving. My coach and I don’t know what I would have been able to achieve in my youth and that means I treat myself like a younger athlete looking for consistency and improvement now. I don’t think much about my age, unlike other people, because I don’t feel it when I run.
“I made so many mistakes when I started and had three stress fractures in my first year. I was under-fuelling and was just training and racing without coaching. I had a break and then lockdown allowed me to work on myself without outside influences and I got myself to a better place.”
Kirstie’s enthusiasm for steeplechasing began with her fellow club members, as her coach was sceptical whether it was the best option because of her age. But after she cleared a few barriers, she said she had made up her mind and just a few years later she was celebrating that world record which came in a National Athletics League Championship fixture in Yeovil in July 2023.
“It was a great moment,” said Kirstie, who said her times continued to improve after she stepped back from her full-time hairdressing role of 25 years to focus on her training. “The commentators announced after one lap that that I was on world-record pace and from that point I was committed to achieving it. I was getting encouragement over the Tannoy, and I just about got there (running 6:50.81 to beat the previous best time of 6:51.51).”
The Bannister wave, open to any BMC member aiming to run faster than 4:40 for men or 5:24 for women, will get underway at 14:20. There is prize money available for first (£1,000), second (£500) and third (£250) place in the men’s and women’s races with a bonus of £250 for any man who runs inside four minutes and any woman who can run faster than 4:30.