Meet Run the Blades Ambassador: Stevie McKenna

In Event Management Scotland, Run the Blades by LeeLeave a Comment

Q1. Describe yourself in 5 words.

Determined, goal-driven, optimistic (sometimes overly), calm under pressure, and always trying to go above and beyond what I'm asked to do - like keeping this answer to five words.

Q2. How would others describe you?

"A good guy that's super organised. Always dependable in a crisis, super helpful even if he does tell dad jokes!"

Q3. What’s your sporting claim to fame?

I wish I had a cool story about taking part in an event with someone famous, but I don't.  Instead the thing that I like to casually drop into conversations is I've run 58 miles from Glasgow to Edinburgh.  It's not a massive distance in terms of some runs, but it's a good conversation starter... and normally always has the same reaction, "Why?!?".

Q4. What has your running journey looked like? 

When I was younger I wasn't into running at all.  That was my brother's "thing" and he was pretty good at it, competing for Scotland at various home country meets and captaining the Scottish school cross-country team.  I was more than happy to leave him to it. 

However in May 2012, I had to get my ACL reconstructed after snapping it while snowboarding.  The ultimate goal of my rehab program was to get me back into the mountains. So as part of it, they encouraged me to start gentle runs after 10 weeks and slowly build it up, with the goal of running 10k after a few months. 

On day one I managed a mile without any issues and thought "Can I double that next time?".  By the end of the week, I'd run the target 10k and needed another goal to aim for, so I entered the Edinburgh Marathon to step way outside of my comfort zone. 

Having an event pencilled in kept me honest with my rehab and forced me out of bed on those cold wet mornings. I wasn't sure what to expect on the day, but the buzz I got from random people shouting encouragement and the noise in the final straight had me hooked. 

With a marathon done, I ticked over with the odd 10k and half marathon each year.  I had nothing else to prove to myself... until I read about the RTB 50k in 2017.   "Run another 8k beyond a marathon and I get to call myself an ultra runner?"  It was too enticing not to give it ago and once again I was stepping into the unknown. 

After completing the 50k and loving the experience, it felt rude not to come back and do the 10k and Half Marathon events over the following years... until COVID called a halt to everything and changed my life for the better. 

Right before lockdown kicked in, my daughter decided to make a surprise entry to the world, 12 weeks earlier than planned and had an extended stay in the hospital for a couple of months. 

 At the time, I joked with the nurses that her stay was going to cost me another 26.2 miles of fundraising, to say thank you to the Neonatal staff for their care.  However, when RTB got the all-clear for the 2021 event, the 50k was the obvious choice. 

Q5. What barriers has there been to that?

The combination of a 28 week old baby on oxygen and an airborne virus that no one knew much about at the time, was pretty scary.  However with everything else shut, running became part of my daily routine.  It was more of a mental release than anything else.  For that one hour, I could forget about everything else and switch off, as I ran along the Clyde Valley.  There was also a moment during it all where I realised "If she is so tiny and can fight like hell to get through it, then what can I do if I put my mind to it?" 

Fortunately these days you wouldn't know she had spent any time in hospital and now I have to fit training in around normal family life.  For me that means early morning runs before work during the week, rather than eating into family time at the weekends.  On the shorter runs (anything below 15 miles) I usually throw a harness onto my dog and take him out with me, whereas with the longer/earlier runs, he's happy to see me head out without him. 

I live close enough to Whitelee Windfarm, that I can pop up to the site at the weekend when family plans allow it.  I love coming in from the opposite side to the visitor centre, as once you get away from the 2-3 mile dog walking loop, you can go hours without seeing anyone up there.  Last December when most of Central Scotland turned into a skating rink for weeks, the snow at the windfarm was the perfect terrain for running on. 

This year I've decided to enter the RTB Series and run 81km over the three days.  I've completed a few events around that distance in the past year, but it'll be a challenge to split it over the three days and go for 21k on the Sunday when my legs will probably have other ideas. 

Oh and just to complicate my training schedule this time around, we've currently got a 5 week old baby in the house, who likes to throw my morning training plans right out of the window at short notice! 

Q6. How many times have you participated in RTB? 

2017 - 50k 

2018 - The Night One 10k 

2019 - Half Marathon & The Night One 10k 

2021 - 50k 

2022 - Half Marathon 

2023 - 10k, Half Marathon and 50K (the triple)

I've ran in nine of the events, but also helped out in the event village and marshalled the 10k over the last few years. As well as taking photos at this year's The Night One event.

Q7. What is it that makes you keep coming back? 

The views!  Around every corner there is a windmill... that looks identical to the one you've just run past. 

Joking aside though, the atmosphere at RTB is amazing. On one hand, within a few miles of the start, you get that feeling of being in the middle of nowhere, yet at the same time if anything does go wrong, the RTB team can have a vehicle there within 10 mins. 

I love the way that everyone looks out for one another in the course. If you stop to take a stone out of your shoe, you better be prepared to tell everyone that you're ok, because no one will run past you without checking.  There is a massive sense of all being in it together. 

When I'm marshalling the 10k, I always take the point at the start/end of the loop around Lochgoin.   You get to see all the determined faces on the way out.  And on the way back everyone is ecstatic that they're up "that bloody hill" and almost home. 

Ready to Take on the Challenge?

If Stevie’s story has inspired you, why not join us for the 10th anniversary of Run The Blades in 2025? Whether you’re a seasoned runner or new to the sport, RTB offers a supportive, unforgettable experience for everyone. Sign up today and be part of something special—we can’t wait to see you at the start line!

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