Sue Corsini - April 2025

This month’s Star Dasher is the legendary Sue Corsini. I’ve enjoyed hundreds of runs with Sue over the years. Sue is one of the longest serving Dashers at the club and she is still mixing it with the best as she is the current Ladies Road Race Champion 

April 2025 Sue Corsini

1. Do you have a nickname?

The ones I knew about at school were “Hooves” & “Smiler”. “Hooves”, I guess was because I liked horses & I ran fast. I beat all the boys & girls in the compulsory weekly XC PE session, even the ones who cheated & caught the bus back. “Smiler” because I rarely did smile - that one might still be current!

2. What is your favourite piece of running kit/equipment?

I’m not into gadgets, I can just about work my old Garmin. But I can’t do without my Nike Air Structure Triax trainers. Been running in them for over 30 years, obviously not the same pair! I replace them after 450 miles of use.

3: What’s your favourite race?

It has to be London Marathon. Marathons are a race, but a race against yourself, physically and mentally. London Marathon is iconic, known all over the world. I’ve completed 30 marathons, 10 of which are London. It’s by far the best organised, crowds are amazing. The route takes in numerous landmarks like Tower Bridge, The Embankment, London Eye, Big Ben, Birdcage Walk, Buckingham palace, The Mall to the finish. What’s not to like? (the training!).

4: 3 PBs that you’re most proud of

Come on..... runners are proud of all their BPs, so here’s mine!

10k Wesham 10k 2006 41.32 1st FV40

10 mile Guys 10 2006 68.38

½ marathon Freckleton ½ 2006 1.32.49 1st FV40

Marathon Barcelona marathon 2010 3.23.16

Darwen triathlon 2004 2.09.29 1st Lady

Track 3000 meters 2000 HMC&E sports day 12min12secs

100 meters county schools comp final 1978, 12.5 seconds

60 meters hurdles county schools comp, can’t remember my time but I qualified for final so must have been quick!

5: What has been your worst running injury?

I have 2, so far. Plantar fasciitis in July ’18. Didn’t run for 8 months. On holiday I stupidly walked a mile back to hotel with no shoes on. It was pouring with rain and I’d only packed one pair of going out shoes and didn’t want them to get wet so I took them off. Lesson learned, pack more than one pair of going out shoes!

2nd is what I have now, mortons neuroma. Very painful, haven’t run for 3 months. No idea how it’s come on. Might need surgery. Not a happy bunny, not smiling!

6: Improving Dasher to keep an eye on

Me! When I hopefully get running again. Can only be an improvement from zero miles to 1 mile!

Seriously, Diane Dudgeon is quick, at everything. She’s going to get quicker, the one to beat, if you can. Jackie Shaw too, she’s back from long injuries. Jackie has been a Dasher nearly as long as me. She keeps a low profile but she’s very competitive & always out to win. She’s a tough little cookie.

7: Where is the most exotic place you’ve ran? (I have 2!)

I’ve been to lots of exotic places, all too hot to run in. But, not quite exotic but iconic is Central Park , New York. We ran from Marella Discovery docked in Manhattan cruise port to Central Park, ran the perimeter of the park and back to port. Was great.

I have a most unusual one too. Again Marella Discovery in Atlantic Ocean on a very windy rainy, choppy sea day on route to Nova Scotia. I ran 24 laps of the ships running track, 6 miles. Other cruisers thought we were completely bonkers!

8: Highlight of your running ‘career’ so far

I’ve been running for over 50 years so picking one is tricky. I’ve narrowed it down to 3!

1. Barcelona Marathon PB, 2010: 3.23.17

2. Palma Marathon 2013, 3.36. Won 1st FV45, no prizes though. Russ won his age group too, 3.08 1ST V55 no prize. I thought it was a bit mean having no prizes!

3. Sale 10 miles, 2005 68.46. Won 1st FV40 £100 !!! I gasped very loudly when I opened the envelope!

9: Any hobbies we don’t know about?

To me, hobbies are things you like doing as and when you want to. So not sure I have hobbies, more a way of life and part of my life. I have a chestnut Connemara pony, Cheeky, and 3 cats Tinker, Belle and Puss Puss. They, especially Cheeky, take up most of my day. Animals are 24/7 365 days. Apart from holidays when I pay someone to care for them 24/7. I used to compete at show jumping and eventing on previous horses I’ve owned but with Cheeky I concentrate on dressage. Last year we won the National Connemara Dressage Championships.

Is cruising a hobby?!

10: Interesting fact about yourself (I have 2!)

1. I have 5 letters after my name, BHSAI: British Horse Society Assistant Instructor. I’m a qualified riding instructor and horse care and management. Qualified in Scotland in 1983. Not sure it’s actually still valid as the exam has changed so much, but I’ve still got the certificate!

2. I once crashed a tractor into a ditch. No injuries to me or tractor but the ditch got a bit ‘cut up’ getting the tractor out.

11: Most interesting job(s) past or present

I always wanted to work with horses. Discouragement from teachers saying ‘Susan you need a proper job’ made me more determined to follow my dream. Watching Spaghetti Westerns with my dad, I thought what a great job it would be to go to the USA and train the cowboy horses. I didn’t know at the time they were filmed in Italy, still more exotic than Cumbernauld. I never achieved this but I did teach horse riding, mainly at a riding holiday centre in the Lake District. Long hours, heavy manual work, rubbish pay. 70 hours a week for £30. This was never going to pay my way in life. So, after I got married to Russ in 1984, I moved to retail. Was Assistant Manager at Superdrug in Blackburn for a couple of years. Got fed up working weekends. Went for an interview with HM Customs & Excise (now HMRC). Proper ‘winged' the interview but got the job! So I was a Civil Servant for 30 years, doing VAT mostly. Retired now with Civil Service pension. So my choices in work turned out to be not too shabby!

12: Dasher you admire and why (Guess what, I have 3!)

Blasts from the past. Linda Clarkson joined Dashers just before me. She was the one to beat. She mostly did beat me but I did finish ahead of her at a few races. She inspired me to run quicker so I might beat her, occasionally!

Another blast from the past, Shane Gudgeon. He’s not a Dasher now, but if it wasn’t for Shane I would never have thought I could complete one marathon let alone 30. He had faith in me and convinced me I could. He was much quicker than me but he paced me round my first marathon, Dumfries in 2002 to finish in 3.54. His catch phrase ‘Slowly slowly catchy monkey’ (I hate monkeys!) In other words don’t set off quickly, pace yourself, has always worked for me.

But I most admire my husband of nearly 41 years, Russ. He was a late starter to running. In 2002 aged 44, he decided to go for a run. He set off sprinting, managed 50 metres & was knackered. He had trainers on as heavy as bricks. He bought lighter trainers (on my advice) and I slowly coached him til he could run 5 miles without stopping. He ran Manchester marathon in 2002 in 3.27, just 6 months after his first attempt at running with bricks on his feet! Since then he’s completed 65 marathons with a BP time of 2.52 at London marathon in 2009. In August ’24 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. In October ’24 he had surgery to remove the prostate. Two weeks before surgery he ran Chester marathon in 3.31. The day after his surgery he was walking laps of the ward with drain and catheter! He was back running on 1st January ’25, 10 weeks after surgery. He’s not looked back. He has to have regular blood tests. As with all cancer diagnoses you are never given an all clear. There’s no guarantee that the cancer is gone forever. It could come back somewhere. He’s just so positive & clocking up the miles in preparation for his 66th marathon.

13: Any future running ambitions?

It would be to complete another marathon in my 60s. Don’t put that in writing! I haven’t done a marathon since 2018. Injury after injury. It’s not the marathon itself that’s the problem, it’s the training! Have to get rid of this mortons neuroma first!

14: Which song on your playlist makes you run faster & further?

What’s a playlist?! Honestly, I can’t think of anything worse than running with music blaring in your ears and not being aware of your surroundings. I like to listen to the birds and the sounds of nature on a trail run. On a road (pavement) run I make words out of the number plates of passing cars and people watch!

15: Which person past or present would you most like to run with?

It would have to be Russ. So long as he didn’t make grunting running noises and run ahead and open gates! He’s my rock and I could not live without him.

16: Best thing about Darwen Dashers.

I’ve been a Dasher since 1999 and everyone then and now are always so friendly, supportive and encouraging. I’m proud to wear my Dashers vest at races. It fills me with pride when I hear race supporters and fellow racers shout encouragement “well done Dasher” “come on Dasher” you get the gist! Everyone recognises Darwen Tower and the yellow and black vest.

17: Any running, or other superstitions?

I don’t think it’s a superstition but I always put a timing chip on my left foot. My first experience with a timing chip was my first London marathon in 2005. I attached the chip to my left trainer. I think, subconsciously, I did this because when I competed at 100 meters my left foot was on the starting block behind my right foot, to power off from and in the hurdles my stride pattern up to the first hurdle and the 3 strides between hurdles, I always powered off my left leg. Strange I know!

18: Your perfect, indulgent, post run meal

A pint, or 2, of Guinness, it’s a meal really. I’ve run 30 marathons and every mile I tick off I think that’s one more mile closer to a nice pint of Guinness - mind games! After Rome Marathon in 2012, we walked for ages to find a bar that had Guinness. It was worth the walk. After Guinness, a nice fillet steak and red wine goes down a treat.

19: One piece of advice for a new runner

I’ve got 2!

1. Invest in running trainers, not fashion ones or bricks! They don’t have to cost a lot. Go for a free gait analysis at a running shop, take their advice , try some on but don’t feel guilty about not buying in store if you don’t want to. Buy a pair of running socks instead! If you buy trainers online, especially if you buy last year’s colours they are much cheaper. Replace trainers after 450-500 miles of use. Keep a record, they do wear out.

2. Start slow, walk, jog, walk. Build up the jog bit & reduce the walk bit by whatever you feel you can. I would build up distance before speed, but it depends what you want to achieve. The main thing is to just enjoy the run and fresh air/weather and our lovely Lancashire countryside (and that’s from a born and bred Scot!).

20: Sum yourself up in 5 words

‘Scottish’, ‘Small’, used to be ‘Speedy’, don’t ‘Smile’ much recently turned ‘Sixty'.