Legal professionals running from 5k to a marathon

There’s an alumni WhatsApp group I’m in, where someone recently asked if anyone was up for forming a ‘relics’ rowing eight to coincide with a planned reunion. ‘With these knees? You’re kidding,’ I replied. For the same reason, I’m not a runner.

But I have been around a lot of legal sector people recently who can and do run, and in the context of good mental health and wellbeing, I am interested in the way these people talk about their commitment to running.

Law Society of England and Wales president Mark Evans (pictured below) tells me: ‘Running is an important way I de-stress from my day-to-day life.’

Florence Brocklesby, founder and managing partner of Bellevue Law, says running fits well around the demands of lawyering and running her firm: 'I’ve been running for almost 30 years and I enjoy it because it’s so easy and flexible – all you need is kit and you can run wherever you are, however much or little time you have and however fast (or not) you are.'

Evans took up running more recently, after lockdown, ‘to improve my own health’. In 10 months, Evans went from not running at all to taking part in his first marathon. He ran the London Marathon for the first time this year. 

‘Running is just one way to support mental health,’ he says. 'But there are lots of other ways like taking a break for lunch, having a coffee and getting away from the workplace. Small changes to your routine can support long-term healthy habits.’

What he describes is a communal aspect to running which Evans says specifically helps with the peculiar stresses of the legal profession. Recognising that, he founded Legal Runner – a social running club for the legal community.

‘I founded LegalRunner as a way for legal professionals of all running abilities to exercise, come together and talk about the stresses of the legal world with other like-minded people,’ he explains.

That beneficial communal aspect can also be strengthened by coming together for a cause. For the last three years, hundreds of lawyers and legal sector staff have headed to London’s Regent’s Park for the ‘Legal 5k’, organised by legal communications agency MD Comms to raise money for disabled children’s charity Skylarks.

At 5k, the run is the same distance as ‘Park Run’. For the Legal 5k, many run as part of a team (around 15 of my colleagues made up the Law Society team).

‘The Legal 5K has become such a special fixture in the legal sector calendar because it brings people together in a way that goes far beyond work,’ is MD Comms runner Katy McEwen-Smith’s take on the attraction of the run. ‘There was a real sense of community throughout the evening, from the excitement before the race to cheering people across the finish line, all while supporting Skylarks Charity.’

A charity element, as with the Marathon, which took place the following Sunday, adds a beneficial sense of common purpose, she say: ‘Events like this are a reminder of just how connected and supportive the legal sector can be. Seeing colleagues, clients and peers come together with such energy, positivity and team spirit in Regent’s Park was fantastic.’

Russell-Cooke’s James Carroll was the run’s fastest managing partner (yes, that was a category), but nevertheless says ‘you absolutely do not need to be the fastest off the blocks to take part’.

Carroll also observes an internal benefit for the firm: ‘What stands out every time is seeing people from all levels, trainees, business services teams, associates and partners, coming together outside the pressures of day-to-day work… In a profession that can sometimes feel hierarchical and intense, events like this help break down barriers, build stronger relationships and create a real sense of community.’

’How I run has evolved as my life and career has changed,’ Brocklesby reflects, who was fastest female managing partner at the Legal 5k. 'Taking in everything from running the Hong Kong marathon when I was on secondment there in my twenties, to quick lunch break runs along the Thames with colleagues in my City days and now the atmosphere of organised races. I always try to run when I’m travelling as it’s also a great way to get to know a new place, so I am looking forward to re-running a great route around Copenhagen during the IBA in October.’

As an observer (I helped hand out medals at the 5k finish line), those feel like authentic claims.

Of course not everyone can run – I don’t, and I’d love to hear from readers who have identified other activities with similar benefits.

And a run alone won’t fix everything – other things have to be got right too, in the culture and working conditions of the legal sector.

As Evans point out: ‘Our members are also telling us that they’re not always taking their allocated annual leave. They say that as the build-up and preparation to not being at work can be overwhelming, they end up not taking leave or cancelling their holidays. I urge our members to take annual leave and ensure they’re taking care of themselves.’