logo
Meet the Greta Thunberg of UK Athletics – who attends Extinction Rebellion rallies

Meet the Greta Thunberg of UK Athletics – who attends Extinction Rebellion rallies

Telegraph06-03-2025
When Innes FitzGerald emerged two winters ago as the outstanding young British distance runner of her generation, it was not long before she became even more widely known as the 'Greta Thunberg of sport'.
She had performed magnificently to finish fourth in the Under-20 European Cross Country Championships in Italy – aged just 16 – following a 20-hour coach and train journey from Devon to Turin that involved even cycling across Paris on a fold-up bike to make a rail connection.
She then promptly turned down the chance to travel to Australia for the 2023 World Cross Country Championships. 'I would never be comfortable flying in the knowledge that people could be losing their livelihoods, homes and loves ones as a result,' she wrote in an open to British Athletics.
Innes FitzGerald enjoys a runaway victory in the U20/17 women's race at the Cardiff Cross Challenge. pic.twitter.com/XgQlwGGk4T
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) November 9, 2024
FitzGerald would then follow up winning the London Mini Marathon by joining Extinction Rebellion activists who had gathered in Parliament Square.
Now 18, the environmental campaigning continues – and her running has gone from strength to strength – but the realities of pursuing her athletics dream has also prompted some deeply uncomfortable choices. She will make her senior international debut at the European Indoor Championship in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands this week, where she has travelled with the rest of a near 50-strong British team by air.
'Unfortunately, this time, I haven't managed to sort it out logistically – it's been quite complicated,' she explains. 'I've been very busy with uni stuff and other different family issues. I do feel like I should be getting the train there, and that's definitely something I'm going to be doing in the future.
'For me, it's quite gutting that the whole team aren't going together on the train, considering it's so close and so easy to do. Even though I might be doing the wrong thing, just still saying that it's wrong is better than just doing it and not saying it's wrong.
'Whenever I'm getting on a flight, it's never easy. I'm always thinking, 'Oh, I shouldn't be doing this', but I know that I've got to go to these championships to fill my dreams as a professional athlete. So it's just about balancing that and trying to do as much as I can in other areas of my life to try and make up for it, and also just speak out.'
A winner of the BBC Green Sport Award in 2023, FitzGerald is flattered by the Thunberg comparison. 'I think Greta is very inspirational,' she says. 'She kind of managed to mobilise so many young people. I think it's a compliment to be associated with her. If I can do anything near to what she's done, then I'll be very happy. I strongly believe that we, as athletes, have a responsibility.'
After growing up on a farm in Devon, FitzGerald's interest in climate change stemmed from her father and she now tries to make environmentally friendly changes in her life and will look into how she can carbon offset in the future. She has also been talking with a sports-focused group called Champions for Earth, which is trying to organise mass participation running events with a low carbon footprint.
'I feel like I have a responsibility to look after the people who are in the Global South, or directly affected by extreme weather events,' she says. 'We're not, in the UK, affected by it, but I feel the pain they're feeling, and I feel like it's my responsibility in a more privileged position to help them, and raise awareness for the situations they're in as a result of our actions.'
Since her running breakthrough two years ago, FitzGerald has dominated the European Under-20 Cross Country Championships with back-to-back wins. She then set a European indoor 3,000 metres age-group record of 8min 40.05sec earlier this year. Her strength and bold front-running style has prompted comparison with Paula Radcliffe.
She got into running as part of her sister's Duke of Edinburgh award and then built up to five 20-minute runs a week during the Covid lockdown. FitzGerald was soon then breaking 18 minutes at her local Seaton Parkrun before persuading her dad to start taking her training at Exeter Harriers, where she has since been mentored by Gavin Pavey and his wife Jo, a former European 10,000m champion and the only British athlete to have competed at five Olympic Games. After completing A-Levels last year in biology, physics and maths, FitzGerald is now studying for a degree in sport and exercise science at the University of Exeter.
'I don't like bigging people up too much, but Innes is very good,' says Gavin Pavey. 'We never know what's going to happen in the future, but it looks promising. She's doing things that other young athletes at this stage haven't done. What's good about what we're doing is her [weekly mileage] volumes aren't very high.'
FitzGerald is also emphasising a long-term approach. 'I never really thought I'd have this opportunity – I don't think there's too much pressure on me,' she says. 'I just want to go out there, enjoy it, soak it all up, and hopefully get into that final. That's where I believe I belong. Hopefully compete for one of those medals, but just getting close. There's lots more years of my career left. I don't want to jump into anything too soon, because I'll have nowhere to progress to. It's just about building up that mileage and intensity gradually.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

British rock icon, 63, expecting baby with wife, 38, after 'secret' wedding
British rock icon, 63, expecting baby with wife, 38, after 'secret' wedding

Metro

time27 minutes ago

  • Metro

British rock icon, 63, expecting baby with wife, 38, after 'secret' wedding

An icon of British rock has revealed that he is expecting a baby with his wife after their 'secret' wedding. Tears for Fears musician Roland Orzabal, 63, shared the news that his wife Emily Rath, 38, is pregnant in a romantic post on Instagram. His wife can be seen posing in front of a beautiful rock backdrop with plants as she holds her bump. The couple, who live in the Hollywood Hills, privately tied the knot back in 2020 after the pandemic changed their wedding plans. Discussing their special day, Emily, who is a photographer, told The Sun: 'We had to postpone our original wedding date in September 2020 because of Covid. 'I felt as all corona brides have been feeling: angry, sad, gypped, and confused as to when we should have a wedding. 'Roland and I were in the States for work. We desperately wanted to get married, even just legally, and so to honour our original date, we secretly eloped, just the two of us, atop a mountain in Aspen. It was the most magical moment of my life. 'It breaks my heart that my family could not be there to see it, but no one wanted to risk their safety. 'Two weddings was never my dream, but we adapted, separating the legal wedding from the celebratory wedding to come.' She went on to say: 'In September we were able to use the autumnal flowers we'd originally wanted, and next year we can have all of the spring flowers!' We've teamed up with Camp Bestival Dorset to give one lucky Metro reader and their family the chance to win family weekend tickets, worth up to £1,172! Created by families, for families, Camp Bestival combines all the fun of a fantastic family camping holiday with everything you would expect from a perfect and action-packed festival adventure. Headliners include music legend Sir Tom Jones, pop icons Sugababes, plus a carnival-filled live show from electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. Simply enter your details here to be in with a chance of winning four tickets to this epic experience. You have until midnight on 23 July to enter. Good luck! * Open to GB residents (excluding Northern Ireland) aged 18+. Promotion opens at 18:01 on 16/7/25 and closes at 23:59 on 23/7/25. Entrant must submit their first and last name, email address, date of birth and postcode when prompted via the entry form available on (available here). 1 prize available of a family weekend camping ticket, including two (2) adult tickets and up to four (4) child and/or teen tickets in any combination as chosen by the winner to attend Camp Bestival (Lulworth Castle, Dorset) from 31st July 2025 to 3rd August 2025. Maximum 1 entry per person. Attendance is governed by the Camp Bestival Terms and Conditions. Full T&Cs apply, see here. Roland was previously married to Caroline, who died in 2017 at the age of 54 following a battle with alcoholism-related dementia and cirrhosis.. He has two sons with Caroline, called Pascal and Raoul. This difficult period in his life was said to have inspired his 2022 album The Tipping Point. Roland, who was raised in Portsmouth, is one half of the legendary band Tears for Fears alongside Curt Smith, 64. The band are known for some huge hits, such as 1984's Shout and 1985's Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Head Over Heels. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: What really happened the night Ozzy Osbourne ripped a bat's head off with his teeth MORE: British rock band cancels tour dates after 'unexpected and catastrophic event' at member's home MORE: Rock legend worth £110,000,000 shocks fans on £47 Ryanair flight to Bristol

South Wales to Host Latter Stages of Lloyds Tour of Britain Men 2025
South Wales to Host Latter Stages of Lloyds Tour of Britain Men 2025

Business News Wales

time2 hours ago

  • Business News Wales

South Wales to Host Latter Stages of Lloyds Tour of Britain Men 2025

This September, Torfaen will play host to the latter stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men – Britain's biggest professional cycle race. On Saturday September 6 and Sunday September 7, the UK's largest free-to-spectate live sporting event will see the world's top cyclists racing two arduous stages across South Wales. Pontypool Park will host the start of Stage Five on Saturday September 6, as the British national tour visits the borough for the first time. The route will continue through Monmouthshire – culminating in a double ascent of The Tumble, near Abergavenny, which averages 8.2 per cent gradient for five kilometres, and will loop back through Torfaen later that day. Torfaen Council Leader Cllr Anthony Hunt said: 'It's exciting to have a stage of the Tour of Britain starting here in Pontypool, travelling through Torfaen and Monmouthshire. What a great opportunity to show off beautiful Pontypool Park and Blaenavon too. 'It will also give local people a great chance to come and see the race, and pay tribute to Welsh legend, Tour de France winner and Olympic champion Geraint Thomas in his last professional race.' To mark Geraint Thomas' last competitive race, the final stage on Sunday September 7, will start from the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales, in Newport, and pass Maindy Velodrome – home of Geriant's former club, the Maindy Flyers Cycling Club. As part of Wales' weekend of racing, amateur cyclists can also tackle the final stage of the race on Saturday 6 September, starting and finishing at Newport's Geraint Thomas Velodrome – one day before the professional competitors. Further details and the exact routes of both Welsh stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men will be published later this month. Jonathan Day, Managing Director of British Cycling Events, said: 'The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men never fails to draw a crowd in South Wales, and with the four fantastic locations and two stages falling across a weekend, we are confident that this will make for a really special atmosphere and a fantastic way to round out the race, and crown our 2025 champion.' The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men begins in East Suffolk on Tuesday September 2, with legs between Woodbridge and Southwold, Suffolk at Stowmarket, Milton Keynes and Central Bedfordshire, and Warwickshire before the race arrives in Wales. Welsh Government Minister with responsibility for Sport, Jack Sargeant, said: 'We're excited to welcome the Men's Tour of Britain back to Wales once again, an event we have proudly supported over a number of years.' 'The Tour has found a successful home in Wales, and each time it returns it showcases our cities, towns, communities and landscapes to an international audience, as well as attracting athletes from all over the world.'

Fundraiser launched after Scottish woman dies in Spain
Fundraiser launched after Scottish woman dies in Spain

Glasgow Times

time5 hours ago

  • Glasgow Times

Fundraiser launched after Scottish woman dies in Spain

Angela Mctier, who is understood to be from Blantyre, became unwell and passed away while coming home from her holiday in Alicante, Spain, yesterday (July 22). Now, a fundraiser has been launched on GoFundMe to help Angela's family bring her home. The description reads: "We are just looking to take a bit of stress off Angela's family to bring her home and let her get laid to rest. "Any donations at all would be greatly appreciated." So far, more than £750 has been raised. A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson confirmed: "We are supporting the family of a British woman who died in Spain." You can view the GoFundMe HERE.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store