Ella Davey – How talent, hard work and never giving up can lead to becoming a multi championship winning athlete

Written 27th August 2025

1. How did you get into running?

– I started out playing football and that gave me the fitness to do reasonably well at a few school cross country races, but I always came away wishing I could be like the girls who ran in the front pack. That gave me the drive to start running and training by myself, and after accepting a friend’s invitation to run my first ever parkrun, I decided to set myself a goal of a sub-20 minute 5k. I followed online training plans and after about 8 weeks, and after two failed attempts, I finally ran 19:57 for 5k. I trained all through lockdown and I thought that I was pretty fast, but then I stumbled across a YouTube video of a 3000m race from English Schools National Championships and I couldn’t believe that girls my age were running sub 10 minutes when I thought my 12 minutes was already elite. I decided then to join an athletic club and see if I could be like those girls, and so I joined Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow and Shireen Higgins’ middle distance training group for my first  under 15 cross country season in 2021.

2. Did you love running right from the start?

– I loved the feeling of running fast, and I had always been on the wing or centre-mid when I played football because I just wouldn’t stop running for the whole match. But when I first joined WSEH, I felt so anxious because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep up, and I couldn’t imagine how I would be able to do those sorts of sessions every week. But after maybe my second session, I was already hooked; everyone was so friendly, and I had already made loads of new friends, and my new coach Shireen was so supportive and was genuinely interested in my progress and how I was finding the sessions, so it wasn’t long before I felt like I’d been at the club forever.

3. What were the biggest sacrifices you’ve had to make?

– I think the main sacrifices I’ve made have been with my time, you just can’t do everything, and that means I’ve had to say no to some social events or wake up early to train in the morning if I really couldn’t miss them. I had to leave my year 11 prom after only a couple of hours because I needed to be awake at 4am the next morning to head up to the English Schools National Championships, but when I was standing on top of the podium it all felt worth it. I would say that there are lots of sacrifices you have to make, but sometimes running does have to be the sacrifice when you have the opportunity to make unforgettable memories, and so it really is about balance and choosing what to sacrifice in each situation, rather than putting running before everything every single time. My coach Shireen has been incredibly helpful in guiding me when I have to decide what to prioritise, and this summer I have been able to take a post-exams holiday with my friends mid-season and then come back and win English Schools, which was enabled by the communication and support from my coach, and being dedicated to train while away.

4. Are there ever times when you don’t want to run? If so, how do you deal with that?

– I hardly ever feel excited to skip out the door to go for a run, but I do generally enjoy it once I get into it, and I love the feeling afterwards. I prefer sessions to steady runs as I get to see my friends and running fast is just a lot more fun. I’d also say that when it becomes a routine, then you don’t really have to rely on motivation to run, it is sort of like going to school, you just have to go, and it always pays off when you see yourself getting fitter and especially when that translates into race results. I think communication with my coach Shireen is also really important, as I fill in my mileage sheet every week and it keeps me accountable, and it also lets my coach know when I might actually need a break and we can schedule those in when needed rather than just deciding not to run because I’m not motivated.

5. What was your key to success in representing England and winning the SIAB International in your first track season?

– I think a huge part of that was my coach and my team. The year before I joined, two girls from my group had already come first and second at both the English School National Championships and the SIAB International for the 1500m steeplechase, and so they inspired me massively. Also, the fact that my coach Shireen believed in me made me think that it was a real possibility. I wrote SIAB on my hand about six weeks out from the race and I would rewrite it every time it faded, and every time I saw it, I would be reminded of my goal for the season. I would actually get butterflies when talking about the English School National Championships and I would also visualise myself qualifying for SIAB International every night leading up to the race. I think that obsession and self-belief fostered by my coach and my team was absolutely vital to the success of that race, as I was about half way through the 1500m steeplechase final at the English Schools National Championships when I thought to myself, ‘this is hard,’ but because of all of the time and effort I had spent thinking about this race in the months leading up to it, I immediately told myself, ‘okay but if ‘hard’ is all it takes to get to SIAB then you can do it!’ and that really did change my mindset and allowed me to stick with the pace and place second, qualifying me to represent England at the SIAB International, where I came first with another PB of 4:53.

6. Were there ever times you wanted to quit the sport?

– I was really lucky with my first two seasons, as I had placed top ten in some major cross country races, and then on the track I had come second at English Schools National Championships, won at the SIAB International, and ended the season top of the rankings for 1500m steeplechase for both under 17 and under 20. It was a fairytale beginning, but over the years since then I have struggled a lot more, especially with cross country, and I’ve definitely had times where I felt like I just wasn’t good enough. It was probably the national cross country championships in my second cross country season where I really felt like I’d snapped out of that fairytale: I had underperformed and I felt crushed – in that moment, I had to decide whether to just give up or to stick with it, and with the help of my coach Shireen, I was able to pick my head up and move on. That was the start of a series of challenging cross country seasons, where I have had to continually ask myself whether it is all worth it, but each time I decide to carry on I eventually get to the race that makes me so glad that I did push through. Last year was a great example of that, over the cross country season, I suffered from low iron, hormonal medication, a hip injury, and a breathing condition, leading to some very disappointing races. However, only a few months later in April I won my first 3000m steeplechase race which qualified me to represent the GB Juniors at the Loughborough International in May, where I placed second and ran a PB, which made me so incredibly grateful that I didn’t give up over winter. I have learned that there are almost always more lows than highs in this sport, but the sort of athlete you are is determined by how you respond to them, whether you give up or pick yourself up and keep going, as eventually it will all pay off.

7. How do you manage to keep running during exams and other life complications?

– This is something I struggle with a lot, as I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself for both running and my exams. I think that prioritising is important, as well as making sure that exams do come first, however hard that may seem. However, managing both is still possible, as during my IB exams this year, I did cut out some elements of my training, including stopping my strength work, and cutting sessions and runs short in some cases. Overall though, just accepting that I am not going to be at my best during exams has helped a lot, as I can trust in my coach and my training that I will bounce back after – this season had been a great example of that, as I did underperform during my exams, such as dropping out of races and running 10:20 for the 3k, which was 27 seconds slower than my PB from the previous year. I felt so disheartened at the time, but my coach assured me that it was just exam stress and my team mates helped to persuade me not to hang my spikes up after my first race of the season! It definitely paid off in the end, as only a few weeks after finishing my exams I PB’d in all my flat events, including running 9:46 in the 3k, and I won my last ever English Schools National Championships 1500m steeplechase with a PB of 4:51, making me the English School champion in the 1500m SC for three years in a row, and showing me that my determination had paid off. It also made me very grateful for my amazing support system at Team Shireen and WSEH for believing in me and being there for me every step of the way.

Ella’s athletics achievements to date:

Joined Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow Athletic Club winter cross country season 2021/2022 as a second year under 15

Raced at the National Relay Championships in November. Ella said going to straight into racing at the Nationals was quite scary, but afterwards she was very happy to be in top half of finishers.

5th in only her second ever cross country race in December.

Won silver medal in Berkshire County Championships two weeks later.

5th in Berkshire County Schools Championships in January (3rd in inter-girls to qualify for Nationals – a great achievement in only her first season).

Won silver medal in South of England Championships a week later and team bronze. Her coach said “Ella Davey, another newcomer to this level of competition raced to a brilliant 2nd place in the U15 Girls’ event, moving through from 4th in the last 800m”. Ella said this was probably one of her best cross country races ever.

6th in National Championships in February and team bronze. Her coach said “Running her first ever race at national level, Ella Davey ran brilliantly for 6th place and the team were highly delighted when they were announced as winners of the bronze medals”. Ella said that standing on the start line looking up Parliament Hill, she was pretty scared at was was ahead of her, but afterwards it felt fine.

Represented Berkshire in the Inter-County Championships in March.

Ella still feels this first ever cross country season was actually her best ever. She said she used to sprint as fast as she could and then just try to hold on, something she found she couldn’t do in later years when the distances got longer. She has all her vest numbers from all her races, with notes she made after all the races!

2022 summer season (first year under 17)

800m – won bronze medal in Berkshire County Championships

1500m – won both her races when representing the club in junior matches and 2nd when representing the club in a senior match

1500m steeplechase – won first ever race representing the club in April

1500m steeplechase – Won silver medal in Berkshire County Championships in May, with a PB

1500m steeplechase – Won silver medal in Berkshire County Schools Championships in June and achieved the qualifying standard for Nationals.

1500m steeplechase – Won silver medal in English Schools National Championships in July, with a PB

1500m steeplechase – Represented England a week later in the SIAB International, running another PB and winning gold

1500m steeplechase – won bronze at the School Games in September

Ella said this was a massive breakthrough year. She said she was obsessed with being selected for SIAB, having two teammates being selected for it the year before and being encouraged by Shireen that she could do it.

After finishing 2nd in the English Schools National Championships, she went straight to the ‘international room’, met the England officials and was given her kit, Ella said she was so excited and felt it said to her that she belonged in this environment.

Winter season 2022/2023 (first year under 17)

Team silver in Southern Road Relays in September.

Team silver in National Road Relays in October. Her coach said “The club’s under 17 Women’s A team of Freya Ruffels, Ella Davey and Rachel Clutterbuck (who all ran times within 4 seconds of each other), finished an excellent 2nd”. Ella said she was so happy with her 2nd place on leg 2 and loved being part of a team.

Team gold in National Cross Country Relay Championships in November. Her coach said “Fantastic running by our U17 Women resulted in our teams taking gold and bronze positions with A team Rachel Clutterbuck, Ella Davey and Freya Ruffels leading from gun to tape for a convincing win”.

Individual silver and team gold in Berkshire County Cross Country Championships in December

Gold in Berkshire County Schools Cross Country Championships in January.

5th in South of England Cross Country Championships a week later and team gold. Her coach said “Our under 17 Women were at the front right from the gun and Rachel Clutterbuck finished a well-deserved 3rd. With Ella Davey 5th, Eva Bartlett 12th and Aashni Manek 30th the team won gold by a clear 31 points”. Ella says this was probably her best race of the season, she said after the start her legs felt great and as a first year under 17, finishing 5th was a great result.

Summer season 2023 (second year under 17)

800m – won silver medal in Berkshire County Championships and a new PB (won bronze the year before)

1500m – won when representing the club in a senior match and a new PB

1500m – represented the club in the National Athletics League for the first time

1500m steeplechase – won gold at Berkshire County Championships in May (won silver the year before)

1500m steeplechase – won gold at Berkshire County Schools Championships in June (won silver the year before)

1500m steeplechase – won gold at English Schools National Championships in July (won silver the year before)

1500m steeplechase – won gold at for the second year in a row when representing England in the SIAB International a week later

Winter season 2023/2024 (second year under 17)

Team silver in South of England Cross Country Relay Championships in October

A hip injury unfortunately then prevented Ella from racing in the County Championships and the Schools County Championships. The South of England Championships in January was her first race back after a hip injury, but a gutsy run helped the team win gold. Her coach said “The U17 Women had an outstanding race with 3 runners in the top 10 to take the gold team medals. They were led home by Lucy Wilkinson in 3rd, closely followed by Eva Bartlett 7th, Jaq Heller 9th, Ella Davey 23rd”.

Summer season 2024 (first year under 20)

1500m – new PB when representing the club in the National Athletics League

1500m steeplechase – won gold at Berkshire County Schools Championships in June, with a PB (having won it as an under 17 the previous year)

1500m steeplechase – won gold at English Schools National Championships in July (having won it as an under 17 the previous year)

3000m steeplechase – in April, won her first ever race at this distance

3000m steeplechase – won silver at the Loughborough International in May, representing GB Juniors

3000m steeplechase – won bronze at the England Athletics under 20 National Championships in July

Winter season 2024/2025 (first year under 20)

Won team gold in South of England Cross Country Relay Championships in October (so has won gold, silver and gold in the three years she raced in these championships).

Won team gold in Berkshire County Cross Country Championships in December

Won team gold in the South of England Cross Country Championships in January (so has won gold three years in a row in these championships).

Won team silver National Cross Country Championships in February. This was a tough race for Ella. She fell over and badly spiked herself, which actually led later to having to go to hospital, but didn’t give up and finished the race to help the team result.

Summer season 2025 (second year under 20)

800m – won gold medal in Berkshire County Championships and a new PB (having won bronze and then silver medal when under 17)

1500m – won gold medal in Berkshire County Schools Championships, with a new PB (first ever championship 1500m race)

3000m steeplechase – won when representing the club in the National Athletics League

1500m steeplechase – won gold medal in Berkshire County Schools Championships (and retaining her title from the previous year, having also won it as an under 17 the previous year)

1500m steeplechase – won gold medal, with a PB, in the English Schools National Championships (and retaining her title from the previous year, having also won it as an under 17 the previous year)

2025 – UK ranking 1500m steeplechase – number 1

Ella said “I could not have wished for a better ending to my English Schools era to have claimed my third ESAA title in three years with a PB is a dream come true as I wasn’t even sure if I was going to make it to English Schools at the start of this season. Thank you so much to everyone who made it happen, including my coach Shireen Higgins”