Talking about 'Grit'
Local runners Kathy Jackson and Peter Morgan reflect upon watching 'Grit' by Sophia Hatfield
K: My partner Peter and I are keen runners. We're regulars at The Wammy parkrun in Newcastle and Hanley parkrun, we are members of Silverdale Running Club and between us we've tackled a lot of different races. I started running about seven years ago, just before my mum became seriously ill. My early running experiences helped me to cope with a very difficult time in my life and I was proud to be able to show my mum my first 10K race medal whilst she was in hospital. Since then, my running highlight has been completing the Chester Marathon in October 2021.
P: I started running as means to lose weight. Having a slight competitive nature, I found myself incentivised by getting my weekly parkrun 5k times down, which went hand in hand with losing weight. I ran solo for a good few years before joining my first running club, and whilst I do enjoy the social aspect, I often prefer to pop in my headphones and run to an episode of 'Zombies, Run!'. I hit a slump in 2020/21 with my running, but last year I joined Kathy on her training journey to the Chester Marathon, and this spurred me on to complete the distance myself.
K: When Manchester-based artist and runner Sophia Hatfield announced on her Facebook feed that she was creating a 'theatre experience' about the experiences of women runners in our local area, we were intrigued and got tickets straight away. Then, on 26th September we arrived at Etruria Locks in front of the Etruria Industrial Museum to meet with a few fellow runners for the outside promenade performance. We were all a bit unsure about what to expect and where the performance would take us, as we had been told that we'd be walking approximately 850 metres as part of the piece.
We were about to watch 'Grit', 'a canal-side performance about women who stride, walk, jog and run'. The piece formed part of Urban Wilderness's 'The Happenings': a multi-art event in Stoke-on-Trent, which aimed to create new art for local spaces. 'Grit' focuses upon Chrissie, a woman who explores what it's like to take up space as a female runner and what some of the challenges and positive experiences associated with this are.
P: I really enjoyed the show, but more importantly it got us thinking and talking about our own experiences and reflections of running alone. I could relate to some of Chrissie's concerns/fears about groups of youths making comments or shouting things out whilst out running. I don't encounter this too often myself, but I do brace myself for it, and put on my best stern face, when passing by groups of kids on my runs. Receiving shouts from strangers in cars isn't unheard of either – though less expected, it's still an unpleasant surprise, even if the comments are meant in good humour.
K: I think that in some of these circumstances I would try to get by as quickly as possible without making eye contact, cross the road or potentially find another route. I know that this isn't ideal, especially as most often there is no malice involved. However sometimes, especially at night, I would rather err on the side of caution. I have never had an especially bad experience to warrant this and I admire Chrissie for being able to call out some negative behaviour that she encounters and she isn't afraid to call the police, if needed.
P: I've had conversations about this with other runners in the past, and do accept that there is a big difference between the sexes on how often being randomly shouted at occurs. Generally, as a solo male runner I don't encounter it as often, or as offensively, as I know women do. The stretch of canal that the piece was performed on is a regular route for a lot of runners, walkers and cyclists. I've been along it many times and will often see people, but it can also get quite quiet and isolated at times.
K: Yes, I think that it depends upon the time of day and the day of the week that you are running. It's usually quite busy on a sunny Sunday morning but it can feel quite different on a rainy, winter evening.
Something that I enjoyed about the piece was that it gave me the opportunity to imagine what the experiences of other runners using the space would be. This is also something that Chrissie reflects on in the piece, as she wonders what she might see if she could 'see a snapshot' of other people's days, 'hear what they are hearing in the headphones' or the 'thoughts filling their heads'. Our lives tend to be quite busy, with lots of different pulls on our attention, so I liked having the opportunity to put myself into other people's shoes. It was also a curious experience to spend some time in a place that I would normally quickly run through, as we walked to several canal-side outdoor locations throughout the performance. I must admit that when Chrissie referred to the James Brindley statue in the area, I hadn't noticed it there before. There is a lot that I miss.
P: Yes, me too, nor the little nook with the picnic benches in. It's not an area I'd normally 'explore'. I found the short walks between the scenes gave me time to reflect upon each scene in turn, allowing for some discussions with others along the way. It's quite unusual to be able to reflect and discuss a piece, while it's taking place and unfolding.
K: That's true. The discussions continued for a a good half an hour or so straight after the performance and gave us a real opportunity to engage with fellow runners and other audience members about what we had seen. I really enjoyed the creative way that this show was presented and constructed and I would be very keen to see more of this kind of work in the future.
