Interview: Jenni Falconer

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With her running shoes barely off, Jenni Falconer is beaming as she joins me over Zoom for our interview just weeks before the London Marathon. Unlike many of us would look after a few hours’ training, she is relaxed and radiant. It’s clear just how much joy running gives her. If more evidence were needed, she has her own podcast RunPod where she interviews likeminded others about their passion for running, and documents her training in her Instagram posts.

Jenni is up early every day for her breakfast show on Smooth, is co-founder of a health brand, and has a busy family life in south west London. Right now she is also fitting in lengthy training sessions as the London Marathon approaches. “I absolutely love it. This will be my 11th London Marathon this year. For me, it’s like Christmas. It’s my favourite day of the year. But also it’s my least favourite in a way, I’m not going to lie, because there are moments when you’re like, ‘why am I doing this again?’”

But she can’t imagine ever not doing it. For those running the marathon for the first time this year, what’s her advice? “On my first, I was so overwhelmed and nervous because I had no idea what to expect. But I think that’s a good thing because the nerves you can channel into a really positive energy and it’s fear of the unknown rather than anything else.”

And the atmosphere and camaraderie drive you on. At the start line, everyone is having the same conversations. She says: “You hear people asking each other what time they are aiming for, how long they have trained for. You wonder if you have trained enough. And the minute you start running, it’s absolutely fine. To be fair, it should be the easiest run you’ve done: they give out water, they give out energy drinks. You see the greatest parts of London, the crowds are electric. The finish line is spectacular. And you get a medal for your efforts.”

There’s also the huge amounts raised for charities. This year, Jenni is running in aid of end-of-life charity Marie Curie. “They have just launched grief run clubs, which are amazing. They bring people together – a chance to talk or a distraction for a while.

While she is endlessly enthusiastic about running, it hasn’t been easy and Jenni has come back from several injuries. She had a stress fracture from running a lot during lockdown. During the marathon last year, she sustained a severe injury – finishing the race in great pain, although not realising she had actually broken her foot. “I’d trained for 16 weeks for this race, and I was so excited. At mile five, someone ran onto my foot. It was excruciating. I finished 21 miles with a broken foot – a lot of the time I was power walking and I only came in around 50 minutes later than I’d hoped.”

So, why does she love it so much? In her podcast, she explores the reasons people run. “It’s about the feel good of running. I don’t want to talk about your Strava stats. I don’t really care what your cadence is. The fact is that when you run, there’s something, whether you run fast or slow, whether you’re the first to cross your parkrun finish line or the last, it doesn’t matter. When you put your trainers on and get out there, you are a runner and you will experience that amazing runner’s high. Whether you’re running for mental clarity, for physical benefits, maybe to reduce stress, there are so many reasons why running is great. I find that more and more people are taking up running later in life and wishing they had started it sooner.”

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Living in Wandsworth, Jenni says she is spoilt for choice for local running routes. “Wimbledon Common, Richmond Park, and I love running along the river to Battersea Park, or to Putney and Barnes Bridge. It’s beautiful at sunrise and sunset.”

Jenni found that collagen supplements helped to keep her joints in shape for running and she saw many other benefits too. She went on to co-found Kollo Health, so she could offer her own, and the range is growing, keeping her extremely busy.

She has just turned 50. Has her fitness regime changed? She says that it is more about having less free time as she has got older. “When I did my first London Marathon in 2009, I had a lot more time. And so I trained five or six days a week. I was in the gym three times a week. I was just training entirely for it. I felt fitter. I felt faster.

“As I’ve got older, I have found that time is against me. I’m a mum and have more than one full-time job so it’s a bit of a juggle. Also I love other sports and activities too so I do want to balance things out. I’m also aware that I get injured so I don’t run as often as I used to just in order to avoid injury. Plus, as we get older, strength training is absolutely crucial. We need to look after our muscle mass as it’s kind of fading away as we get older. So you need to really work on making sure you keep it.

For her 50th birthday celebrations, she asked her husband, the actor James Midgley, and her teenage daughter Ella to surprise her. “We went for dinner locally at Adam Byatt’s Brasserie Constance on the river in Fulham. It was brilliant. We then went on the Belmond British Pullman train for the day – I’ve always wanted to but never had the excuse!”

A family get-together was also on the cards. “My brother lives in South Africa and my sister-in-law lives in the south of France, my mum and dad live in Glasgow, so I convinced them all to come together and we all met up in the Cotswolds.”

Did she see the birthday as a milestone? “Yeah, it’s a new chapter. It’s an exciting time. When I was turning 40, I remember thinking that it sounded so old, and 50 was beyond ancient. I feel now like I am in the middle of my life, not on the tail end of it. I feel that I’m a bit braver with my decisions. I’m a bit bolder. I’m willing to say no more, and I know what my priorities are.

Jenni has had a varied career, which started back in 1994 with an appearance on Blind Date. Her first TV show aired when she was just 19. “Since then, I’ve done documentaries, travel shows, consumer shows and worked on GMTV and This Morning. I then had an opportunity to do radio, which was hugely terrifying. It’s just you and a microphone – you’ve no idea who’s out there and you have to drive the desk. But I fell in love with radio. 

Hailing originally from Glasgow, Jenni has put down roots in south west London and has been here for 20 years. “I always remember my mother-in-law who lived in Bradford coming to visit us and we drove through Richmond Park: she couldn’t believe this huge expanse of green is actually in London.”

“From a going out point of view, there’s so many great cafes, and pubs. I used to love clubbing but those days seem to be over. I get up at 4am every day and going out during the week is something that I have crossed off the list, unless it’s to the theatre. I go into town to the West End a lot and also to New Wimbledon Theatre – it has some great shows.

For Jenni, she’s all about the active lifestyle. “I love the daytime. If I can’t run, I’m walking. If I’m not walking, I’m in the gym or playing golf. There’s so many incredible golf clubs around here. South west London is a great place to be active.”

“I think that running around doing all the marathon training really opens your eyes to how beautiful this area is.”