In her own words, Mary Booth "was the most unsporty child you could ever imagine"!

Growing up, she avoided sport wherever possible; even hiding in the bathroom to get out of PE. But life had other plans.

After joining Defence and pushing through early fitness struggles, Mary’s journey took an unexpected turn when she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in her early twenties. Months of pain, weight loss, and uncertainty forced her to rethink everything she knew about her body.

In this episode of Runbelievable, Joshie and Matty sit down with Mary to talk about what it means to run with chronic illness... and why, for her, running became a way to reclaim control.

From cycling to ease symptoms, to discovering parkrun, to eventually completing half marathons, Mary’s story is one of resilience, planning, and learning to work with your body rather than against it.

Now, through her platform “Sore Tummy Runner,” she’s helping others navigate the realities of running with Crohn’s.

Follow Mary's journey: https://www.instagram.com/soretummyrunner/

For more information about living with Crohn's: https://crohnsandcolitis.org.au/

In this episode

• Avoiding sport and early struggles with fitness
• Joining Defence and passing fitness tests
• Being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease
• Managing fatigue, pain, and uncertainty
• Running as a way to regain control
• Supporting others with IBD through social media

Runbelievable — real runners, unreal stories.

Interested in being a guest on the show? Hit us up!

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