This Girl Ran: Tales of a Party Girl Turned Triathlete

by Helen Croydon

If you had told Helen two years ago that she would be getting up at 6 a.m. on Sundays to swim in a freezing reservoir and spending her Saturday nights unshowered and covered in mud in a pub, she would have spat out her champagne. But when everyone around you starts settling down, what else is a glamorous party girl to do but to launch herself into the world of endurance sport?

For someone who didn’t even own a pair of flat shoes (and definitely no waterproofs), Helen would soon find she had a lot to learn.

Join Helen on her hilarious and soul-searching journey as she swaps a life of cocktail bars and dating for the challenges and exhilaration of triathlons, trail runs, obstacle races, long-distance cycles and ocean swims… and sets herself the seemingly impossible goal of qualifying as a Team GB triathlete.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography, Sports

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 8, 2018

About the author

Helen Croydon is an author, ghostwriter and writing coach. She has a rich media career behind her with 15 years as a journalist and five years as a PR agency founder.

As an author, her most recent book is the memoir, This Girl Ran: Tales From a Party Girl Turned Triathlete (Summersdale Publishing), which was long-listed for the William Hill Book of the Year in 2018. She is perhaps most well-known for the confessional dating memoir, Sugar Daddy Diaries: When a Fantasy Became an Obsession (Mainstream Publishing), which made the WHSmith best-seller list in 2011. Though she is always quick to point out that this was a memoir written in much younger, wilder days!

Her other title, Screw the Fairytale: A Modern Guide to Sex and Love, is a polemic asking whether full-time, committed relationships are still relevant.

She wrote these books during a 15-year journalism career, in which she also wrote features for all national UK newspapers, worked as a news producer for ITN, and was a regular commentator on shows such as ITV Good Morning Britain, BBC Newschannel, Sky News, Woman's Hour, Five Live and more.

In 2019, she moved away from journalism and book-writing to try her hand at being an entrepreneur. She set up her own PR agency specialising in thought leadership development. She grew her business, Thought Leadership PR, to seven employees and had big plans to grow and sell it. But an epiphany on a spiritual retreat five years into building her business, told her that her gift for articulating stories could be put to better use through ghostwriting stories that need to be told.

Much to colleague's astonishment, this led her to scale down the business to go back to the much lesser paid, but more fulfilling, roots of writing – only this time she focusses on ghostwriting and writing coaching.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I'm too British but I just couldn't get on board with how effortless the author made everything she accomplished (and it is a lot) sound.. Doubtless it took huge amounts of resolve and effort to do what she did but for.me, this didn''t translate into the narrative - and on severally occasions I feel that she came across as being a bit unlikeable.. this is all huge shame as I desperately did want to like her and her story! Perhaps this was more geared towards people that aren't intimately familiar with the sport and that's what didn't work for me? however, if you like her writing in the press or just transformative tales, then you'll probably enjoy this!

[Abi Santer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost inspired me to go running, almost 😂

[Susie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finishing this book was an endurance event in itself. The author complains throughout the book about how she can’t make any friends. Perhaps she ought to read this book to discover why.

[MTK · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting story about a woman who realised her relationship with alcohol was getting problematic and turned to endurance sports to change her lifestyle. I can't say I sympathised with the heroine; most of her "problems" are self-inflicted and could be solved with a little common sense, but she seems to take a sort of pride in being a bit of a mess, an attitude I find extremely grating. But it's well-written and makes excellent points about how modern life in a western country can get toxic. It was probably worth 3 stars, but I took one away for the overall smug priviledge of the outlook. The author keeps complaining about her career problems while continuing a very costly lifestyle, without addressing how she pays for it.

[BTB · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far one of my fav running books!

[Julia Sarene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the parts about running. I found it very funny, that even though the author and I are as different as can be in most of our personal traits, we share some things about running down to the last drop.
At times I found it a bit annoying to read about how important fashion and looking good and wearing make up and so on where for her, and how much she needs to socialise and be part of a group. I myself nev r wear make up, have no idea about fashion and don't care one bit what others think of my looks. Plus I could never ever just join a random club and talk to strangers.
But even though those parts of the book had me rolling my yes at times I overall really enjoyed reading how she went from occasional short jog to running! And I liked how she started to not care so much about like anymore.

I personally love running, so that is what is interesting to me. But there was plenty of biking and swimming to, as she also does triathlons later. The book though is not called "This girl did triathlons" but "This girl ran" and that is why I detract one star. I really don't much care about bikes or swimsuits...

I did like the tone of the book and how the author just kept going and never gave up, so all in a I really enjoyed the book and end up with 4*.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed how this book was written, as a runner it has motivated me, and i really fancy getting out on my bike! I loved how it was almost written as a novel rather than an account of a period of time in someones life.

[Holly Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today in ‘how many great books can I read about running before I am motivated enough to run’

[Dorothyredboots · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook. Well narrated by the author. Rather repetitive at times. Reading about the running (and triathlon in this case) journey of a much younger person can be a bit depressing. She bandies times about which for me are the stuff of dreams. I also got a bit fed up of hearing how she knew nothing about running kit, bike maintenance etc, until she turned up for an event very ill prepared. I assume this was a narrative device to allow her to go on to explain things for the lay reader. If you are interested enough to read a book written by a triathlete then you probably know the basics about the activities involved.

[Clare Newman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dont know if I am missing the point or if this book was missold to me. I thought I had found an inspiring book about someone challenging themselves... I imagined it would be a book about someone struggling with short distance running who overcame that and ran a marathon.

She may well run a marathon- But she has lost my interest very early on having ran her first timed run in 25 minutes - Certainly not the lap time of someone who struggles with running.

[Emily McGovern · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Though it helps that I've also got very into running these last couple of years. And cycling more recently. I'm a little worried that I now kinda want to do a triathlon...

Anyway, the book. It was very easy to read with a good balance of people and personality to balance the techie stuff. The techie stuff was pretty useful though!

A book that I kept wanting to pick up and didn't want to put down. I'll certainly be lending this to friends.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

This seems more like a brag book than a inspiring book. I usually really enjoying running inspiration books but this one was so boring and grating that I couldn’t quite bring myself to finish it! I read a lot of books each year and this one is by far the worst I’ve read this year.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really went back and forth on whether I should rate this a 3 star or a 4 star. Ultimately, I chose 4 stars because the book is engaging (for the most part) and well written.

Helen felt as though something was missing in her life.....and that she spent too many social activities around drinking. So, she broke off her relationship and discovered running and then swimming and then biking and then triathlons.

The author does a great job of bringing us along on her many, many, many, *did I mention many* athletic races. From day 1 where she is unsure to day 365++++ where she has basically discovered her love for athletics and for pushing herself more and more.

There are a few problems with this book though.

For one, Helen spends wayyyyy too much time talking about drinking. At first, it was "all we seem to do is sit in pubs and drink - there has to be more to life".....then "I love running and I am discovering that I love being an athlete and isn't it great that after each sporting activity, we go to a pub and (you guessed it- DRINK). Even as she discovers here body and her love of sports, even as she pushes herself to be better by eating well and understanding what she can and cannot do, she still manages to obsess over whether her fellow athletes are going to the pub afterwards.

Secondly, it feels as though Helen is obsessed and addicted with running, biking, etc. even to the detriment of her own health. At times, she actually sounds manic as she describes everything she does.

Thirdly, at one point, she complains that she does not have a social life (relationship, etc) -and I wonder how she can be surprised by this realization. I have to say that her book is completely out of balance as she talks about sports 90% of the time and doesn't share much about any other activities, then she is surprised that she does not have a social life, although towards the very end of the book, she seems to come to this conclusion herself.

Also, work, a job, a paycheque. All of these are so barely mentioned in this book. Helen admits that work has taken a backseat to her love of competing, but again, the book feels completely off balance by the fact that she can travel all over the place, but never seems to have a real job. How on earth is she paying for all this stuff? It would have been better if she had explored this with her readers.

Helen made me want to scream at times. She sounds like a smart woman, but the many situations she seems to put herself in are ridiculous. Yep, great idea to rely on someone you don't know very well to ensure you have a place to sleep before a big race (* note - she finds herself in bed with someone she isn't all that close to WHILE other people sleep on the floor, around her, in sleeping bags). She keeps "oversleeping" because her alarm doesn't go off as planned, which leaves her with almost no time to prepare adequately for races, etc. maybe getting a good clock would help?

Still, despite all of the above, I found myself rooting for Helen and actually quite inspired by her. I am not an athlete and drinking is not my thing, but Helen was certainly a hero in my book for turning a bad situation into one that made her feel good about herself and her choices.

I might not always admire Helen's choices, but I certainly always admire her guts and courage. So, for this reason I am rating this 4 stars.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the story of a woman's journey when she decides to break free from the default daily schedule of a 30 something Londoner: Work, drink, be hungover, etc. She throws herself into running, and by doing so finds a new purpose and new friendships. I really enjoyed listening to the author's journey, and overall I found it relatable. Well, besides the obvious bits that really weren't relatable, like the author running a 25 minute 5k when she first timed herself, or the fact that she doesn't seem to need to work full time to afford her lifestyle.

Mid way through, you can't shake the feeling that the author's obsession with exercise is becoming a tad narcissistic, not to mention masochistic. She does acknowledge this when, after completing at an important international level race, the author realizes that everyone else has someone waiting at the finish except for her. She acknowledges that while the point of joining a running club in the first place was to meet people and make friends, it was her dogged commitment to her new passion that was keeping her from cultivating old relationships.

Overall, I would recommend, as one of the book's strengths is its protagonist's drive and determination. As she says, "I might not be at the front, but I'll finish." She may be obsessed with exercise, but she is not obsessed with competition and 'winning', which I really enjoy. It's the doing that drives her, not the result.

Another strength is the author's belief that we should try new things and push our boundaries, while still remaining true to who we are. People are so often convinced that they are a 'type' of person, that they put up boundaries and are afraid to step outside of them. When the author began training, she insisted that she was not the 'athletic type', and later in the book, she sees herself as only the 'athletic type'. Finally, she says: "My experiences didn't change who I am, but added dimensions to who I am". The idea of continually adding new dimensions to oneself is both beautiful and freeing.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I assumed (because of the way the book is marketed) that This Girl Ran would be in the tradition of 'everywoman struggles but gets into sport and you can too' made popular by Alexandra Heminsley's Running Like a Girl. It starts with Croydon talking about how her party lifestyle became unsatisfying, so she joined a running club. She offhandedly mentions that she's quite fit already and then immediately jumps to knocking out a 10-mile run. I think her achievements - she qualified for Team GB for a triathlon event! - are weirdly downplayed in order to make her seem more relatable.

I don't need to see myself reflected back at me in order to be interested in a woman's sporting achievements, and it's frustrating that she's portrayed as a hot mess of a beginner when really she went from already fit to actually elite!

I did enjoy a lot of this book though, mostly because it gave me a different perspective on being a woman in sport. She talks about her life as a London party girl who loves make up, dresses and designer clothes, and how she found less stereotypically girly women intimidating and difficult to approach. As a Northern hermit in awe of women who can do cat-eye flicks, I found the exact same when I turned up to my first park run and saw rows of immaculately put-together women barely breaking a sweat. I doubt that men feel this weird pressure from both sides of looking good/looking capable. It shouldn't matter - but it does. I think this book is at it's strongest when talking about these invisible barriers that put women off exercising, especially the point about triathletes who have periods either not competing or just having to grin and bear not having anywhere to change pads/tampons between events.

On the whole I'm glad I read it, but I would have preferred Croydon to celebrate her achievements rather than self-deprecatingly skirt around them as not a big deal.

[Liz Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should start by saying that although I enjoy exercise and am reasonably fit, I am not a runner. I decided to buy this book on offer as the focus of a woman in her thirties changing her lifestyle and priorities resonated with my own life experiences. However, to coin the perfect one-line review of another reader, “if you’re not interested in running, this book offers nothing else.” In a nutshell, the wildly fluctuating reviews seem to be based on whether you are a runner/fitness fanatic and therefore love reading all about it, or not.

I don’t mean to make light of her achievements - entering the Triathalon World Championships for her age group is very, very impressive. However, she is the first to admit that she was no novice when she started her journey, and her assumptions and experience clearly shows in the narrative. Secondly, she eschews literally everything else in her life to achieve this. I don’t know many people who can give up friends, family, any kind of career goals, etc. and still lead a charmed life living in her own flat in Limehouse. At the end of the book she reaches a realisation that fitness has been filling a void for her, but this is very much the conclusion of the narrative rather than the focus, which I think I would have engaged with more. An inspiring story for those who love fitness, but a little one-dimensional for those who want more depth to their biographies in my opinion.

[Camio.Dontchaknow · Rating 3 out of 5]

To start off with I wasn't really loving this book. It seemed to drag to get started. As, I suppose, every metamorphosis story must do in order to lay the groundwork for the motivation and journey. I hadn't realised it was a triathlon read either which took me by surprise. Nought wrong with triathlons, mind ('Tis on my wish-to-do list in fact!) I was just initially a bit disappointed as I'd got all prepped for an inspirational runner's read and there was an awful lot about road cycling, which doesn't really appeal to me. Still, it grew on me. I found myself grinning with pride at her achievements and her love for what she was doing. Which, ultimately, is what I want out of a book like this. And to feel inspired that it's about time I got off the sofa and moved around a bit. I'm glad I read it, but I don't think it'll be one I'll be itching to re-read anytime soon.

[Jessica F C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, although I didn’t read it as fast as I thought I would. Initially when I started reading, all the talk of fitness, goals, joining groups etc. definitely spurred me on a little and reminded me why I used to love exercise so much and why I joined a running club a few years back.

I think my only criticism of the book would be, that the lead character makes it all sound so easy. Although she does talk about pain, aches and exhaustion, she still achieves so much more than a regular novice to fitness. Like one of her first runs at the club being a 10 miler!

But overall I liked it!!

[Lolly Timmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty readable. Some of it does create a bit of an idealised version of the running community, but I think that is part to do with the author's pace. If you are someone who considers your starting point of 25 minutes for a 5k to be slow then you are unlikely to be mixing with the people who moan about their weight and talk about running to make up for what they ate the day before.
Overall I think it's a good running read, but needs to be taken with a pinch of salt for anyone looking to start a new exercise-driven lifestyle.

[APrincessCutFromMarble · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an quick okay read, and I loved how she became more and more obsessed with running and triathlon, and the research she put into it. It is inspiring. However I felt like I could not relate much to her as she goes from designer bag and shoes to never working, just training. She is nevertheless quite likable, and I loved that she managed to compete in the world championships. If you are looking for ways to change your life and looking for inspiration, This Girl Ran is certainly worth the read.

[Richard Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really interestng read. I found her logic to be very close to my own in bargaining with one's self that we are quater/third/half way there etc.
As someone that is always trying to squeeze runs into a crazy life centered around work and dad-taxi duty, I was facinated by how far she managed to push her self in such a short period of time.
I was sad to hear that after all the hard work of getting to race internationally, she didn't enjoy it as much as she expected.

[Antonio Terreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book, it's truly inspiring but I can't get off my head what if Hellen would actually do if properly trained, the times she puts off on her runs and swim are insane, hitting World Champs after just a year of just 'unorganized' 'train as much as I can' training is not for normal human beings, she's truly gifted and as much I try to understand how good is to just enjoy triathlon and racing I can't image what she can achieve with some proper training - she can be an age group on Long Distance IM or just a brilliant Medal winner on Olympic Distance...

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed listening to this book and found it quite inspiring, I'm not a runner but would like to be and it was fairly motivating. Starting from just about running to taking on 15 miles and then triathlons was a good overall story.
I thought it was also refreshing to hear from a female who was single and child free and discussions on topics such as maintaining friendships or making new ones at this age which can be quite difficult. However I do also think it was quite repetitive and a little self indulgent. If you go in knowing that I think it's quite enjoyable

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok this was tri-mendous (see what I did there). I read this book mainly in the bath after 15 mile runs so for that reason it is probably going to staying with me for a while. Maybe it was because this book came along at the right time for me but it's one of the best books I have read because it was real to me...and as far as I am concerned this is what books are meant to do! So for this I thank you.

[Harriett Bunclark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I'm not a party girl and me and exercise hate each other with a fiery passion. I must admit when I started reading the book I did wonder if I would get to the end as this isn't my usual type of genre but I was surprised by how much the author pulled me in. I was there in the rain and mud whilst she was running and I felt like I could see it with my very own eyes instead of reading about it. Would highly recommend

[Aysh Jaisankar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen's evolution from a party girl to an endurance athlete was funny, honest and full of relatable experiences for anyone who has tried their hand at such feats. Reminded me of my days training for the MS150, spending all of my money towards equipment and eventually building a lifestyle that revolved around training. It is also very reassuring to hear such an accomplished athlete express self doubt. Great listen!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think this one was for me. While I appreciate the writing and the work the author clearly put into her triathlon training, as well as her realisation about personal relationships, I didn't identify with her as I had hoped to do. Subsequently I don't think I'm the target audience for the book.

[Em Faulkner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping and funny almost to the end

Totally absorbing story of a party girl's transformation into an endurance athlete, with interesting revelations about our cultural obsession with nutrition for weight loss rather than fuel, and insights into the effects hard training has on the body. Only downside is the ending. It just sort of stops...

[Victoria Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly torn about this one... it was an interesting story but felt quite patronising... the author didn't seem particularly likeable but then the end redeemed itself when she had a massive self revelation... only to ruin it (in my opinion) by concluding that Doing Stuff is only worthwhile when you have a lover to enjoy it with.

Still whiled away an 8 hour drive quite well.

[Mal Sad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very quick and enjoyable read. Some things seemed unreal to me. how can you achieve such good results so quickly and not have any serious injuries? or who has such a job that he has so much free time and money for all these races and kits.
I liked practical advices and overall story.