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Welcome to The Fat Girls Guide to Running, the worlds only running resource and support website specifically designed to cater for larger women. We don’t mind how you describe yourself here, Large, Plus Sized, Overweight, Curvy, Chunky, Voluptuous or simply FAT the message is the same, if you want to run you should be able to and you should be able to have safe and positive experiences while doing so.

The Fat Girls Guide to Running came about in 2010 when plus sized runner Julie Creffield bit the bullet and decided to sign up for her first Marathon. The blog which was only ever meant for her friends and family was supposed to keep her accountable and be a record of her journey, but what happened over the next few years was truly remarkable as bit by bit more plus sized women started following the blog and saying “I run too”

In January 2013 after having her daughter Rose, and putting on all of the weight she had lost while training for her first marathon (and some more) Julie realized that not only would running help her get back in shape, she now knew that inspiring other overweight women to run too was what she was meant to be doing with her life.

Everyone bangs on about levels of Obesity in the world, and women’s body confidence levels globally are at an all time low with there being so much pressure to look a certain way. But what about embracing the bodies we have now ladies, and focusing on being happier and healthier while we try to find the weight that is right for us? Surely that is a more productive approach?

Obesity is not the killer that the media would have you believe it is, inactivity on the other hand IS so we are on a mission to get 1 million other FAT girls running, women who want to be empowered not restricted by their bodies, ladies ready to lead healthier happier lives.

Motivating Others

In May 2013 Julie virtually trained a group of overweight ladies from all over the world in a programme called The Fattymustrun Marathon Challenge, preparing them for a spring marathon. Some of these ladies had NEVER run before, and some were struggling mentally to get past the 5k mark. The fact that Holley and Laura ACTUALLY went on to run the full 26.2 miles just 8 months later, and a further 3 ladies managed half marathons made Julie realise that even at a distance she could support and inspire other large ladies to make huge changes and equip them with the tools they needed to start enjoying running.

We know that its not all about running marathons though, so on this website you will find resources, programmes and activities to suit your fitness level and every stage of your running journey.

Check out What Kind of Runner Am I? to see how we can help you best.

Is it just for women?

Of course not, men are more then welcome to take part in everything that goes on here, in fact we actively encourage it. The reason the site is The Fat Girls Guide is simply because Julie is a girl, and they say you should write about what you know. All of the advice on this site is as relevant for men as it is for women, aside from anything to do with bras and mensturating, but for that bit you can just close your eyes and click to the shop. On that note, there is nothing to stop you guys supporting the programme and sporting one of our sexy unisex (how many times can we say the word sex in one sentence) “Too Fat to Run?” T-shirts and Hoodies.

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VIP Clubhouse

Julie has committed to keeping the blog aspect of this site FREE for everyone, to ensure that affordability is not a barrier to participation, however being a superstar blogger and marathon runner requires an income of some description (if nothing but to keep her in lycra and energy gels) so to enable this important campaigning work to take place certain sections of this site are restricted to members who pay a small subscription.

By becoming a member and gaining access to our exclusive Clubhouse you not only get access to a range of digital resources and discounts, plus our awesome Closed Facebook Page full of incredible women but most importantly you will get a money can’t buy warm fuzzy feeling from knowing you are doing something awesome to help reverse the worrying statistics on obesity and inactivity in the world.

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Ultimately this website is a place for you guys to feel safe and at home, like you would in any running community. A place to share stories, to pick up tips and basically grow as athletes. We love to hear from you about ways to improve this website so do get in touch.