Welcome to the next in my series of Healthy High Fives – where on the last Friday of the month, I invite an expert to answer five questions around a health and wellbeing subject that matters to them (and me!).
And for this next edition, I’m delighted to welcome Caitlin Limmer. Caitlin is a TEDx Speaker and ACC accredited coach, she’s also the Running Mayor for West London, founder of the Bearcat Running club and Patron of the blood cancer charity MDS Patient Support Group.
I’ve known Caitlin for about 15 years since I first began running with The Bearcats in St Margarets, Twickenham where I used to live. And it feels so appropriate to be sharing this interview now with New York marathon next weekend (1 November). I ran with the Bearcats for a number of years – and met so many lovely people through the community that Caitlin nurtures with such care and commitment. I also went to watch her TEDx talk in 2014 – where she shared her incredible story “Don’t Wait For Your Final 40 Minutes“.
So, let’s get into it… Let me give a massive Healthy High Five to Caitlin:
Q1 – You’re a Race Director, coach, speaker, and at the moment you are working for the London Marathon which you describe as your dream job, but that wasn’t always your path. What happened in your life that led you here?
I was critically ill 22 years ago and just after that I was also diagnosed with a rare blood cancer (Myelodysplastic syndrome – MDS) which I live with. For me this changed the course of my life. Having this illness hanging over me has meant that I have tried to live my life working solely with the things that I am 100% passionate about. I have been very lucky with my MDS, many friends I know haven’t.
Prior to being ill I was an opera singer, after my illness and diagnosis of blood can er I started running. I had been told bone density was going to be an issue because of all the medicine I had been pumping into me. I was ok at sport, nothing special, but I found a real love of running and the confidence it gave me in all aspects of my life. That empowerment I knew I had to give to other people. So, I retrained from opera singer to personal trainer in my 30s and found, I suppose you could call it, my vocation, in that I wanted to help people become the best version of themselves through sport and community.
Q2 – You’ve inspired and supported so many people over the years. What is it that keeps you curious, energised and excited about the work you do?
People always say I am incredible positive person. It was said to me again just yesterday. I am a very positive person, I think when your life hangs in the balance and the sword of Damocles continues to hang over you, you just crack on, “watch and wait” with MDS I was told, means when not if.
However, during the last 5-8 years as I went from being a part time to a full time carer for my husband, who has Alzheimer’s, I found that my strong positivity was gradually worn away. I learnt a lot about the difficulties that carers experience. I could right a whole essay on that.
Thankfully as my circumstances changed again, I have rediscovered that positivity and this time, it feels even greater. Maybe I am just grateful to have more of my life back again. When something some of your life is taken away from you through no choice of your own, getting it back can bring an even stronger determination to pursue physical and mental goals – well, it has done me. I have found another gear. I intend to use it to the max.
Q3 – What’s something about you that people might be surprised to discover – something they might not see from the outside?
I have spent much of my life being very honest and open about my experiences and challenges, but at this stage in my life I have become a very private person. I love being on my own and keeping life simple; I continue to work only on things I love and in environments that inspire me. I am currently working on a project for the 2027 Double TCS London Marathon, it is a role and environment that I adore.
Q4 – How do you see the next stage in your life? What’s next for you Caitlin?
I have spent much of my life giving my time to communities and helping other people believe they can achieve whatever they set their minds to. I will never stop doing that. However, now I want to make more time for myself and my children, continuing to doing purposeful work. I also want to train physically and mentally hard making the most of what I have.
Q5 – We often think about health in terms of how much we exercise, what we eat, and the absence of illness. But what does being healthy and well actually mean to you and what do you think really matters if we want to live not just a longer life, but a happier life too?
To me, health means living simply and honestly, facing difficult times, and then moving forward.
It also means having control of my time and keeping my mind and body as strong as possible.
I don’t think health is simply about living longer. It is about living in a way that makes you feel energized and confident in who you are and what you do. What matters is being as mentally and physically strong and resilient as we can be.
Happiness to me means knowing what matters too and making enough room for it in my life.
For me, that now means surrounding myself only with people I truly know, trust and love, people who bring me great happiness.
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Thank you so much Caitlin for being open to this interview on Not The Mayo Clinic. It’s been such a delight and privilege to know you over the years and to benefit from your wisdom, energy and care. I know there are many people who feel the same.
Be curious, be kind.
