“RUNNING MADE ME HAPPY– IT WAS BETTER FOR ME AND FOR EVERYONE AROUND ME”

Emma Cockroft was using her hectic lifestyle to numb herself when she went through tough times – until running gave her a better way to stay positive that has completely changed her outlook

PHOTO: HELEN TUR TON WORDS: ELIZABETH HUFTON

COVER STAR

Behind the shared #instarunner pictures, many of us live a less than perfect life. And as gorgeous, bright and happy as Emma Cockroft looks on our cover this issue, she’s here to remind us that being perfect is overrated. “I don’t want to say I’m suddenly clean-cut, I don’t eat this or that,” she says. “It’s all about moderation. I do still go out every now and then, but I pick my battles and make sure everything is balanced in my life.”

This grounded approach comes from hard experience. A few years ago, Emma was working as a bar manager and leading a hectic lifestyle. “I was working late hours and out quite a lot and it got to a point where I had no focus at all, no end goal with anything.”

But when serious illness struck her family, the harrowing experience sparked a change that has transformed Emma’s life. Her cousin Aaron was in hospital, being treated for cancer, and at the same time Emma was going through a traumatic relationship breakup. When Aaron’s friend mentioned that he was signing up for a half-marathon, Emma liked the idea – and the reaction she got from those around her just made her more determined. “Everyone laughed at me because of the party lifestyle and I just felt like, ‘No, I want to show people I can do this.’ I was trying to find where I was at that moment in time.”