Hey everyone, I’m @ellacumber (they/them) and one of the non-binary runners with the Mathieu Project. I’m going to be taking over the Instagram account for the next few days so you can follow me while I do my first ever race!
I’m based in Wiltshire, UK, but grew up all over the world — the UAE, Philippines, Hawaii and Thailand to name a few places! You can often find me out in the fields with my dogs or in London for work. It’s hard to keep me in one place for a long time 😅
I started running in my 30’s after a period of very bad mental health and struggles with alcoholism and addiction. At first, it was about getting outside. Then it was about how far I could walk. And then in classic ADHD fashion, I would get bored and it was about getting there a little faster, until it eventually evolved into running (slowly) for even longer distances.
Now, running for me is very much about solitude and being in nature. I can work through all my racing thoughts and practise a moving meditation (which sometimes involves a lot of cursing and heavy breathing up hills), but there’s a real sense of freedom and connection to the world around me.
I’m not a fast runner, but I’m a happy one!
Outside of running, I’m an actor and a dog walker — all the hours of walking is good time on feet training!
I have a huge love for nature, conservation and representation, and I recently did my mountain leader training with the aim of eventually being able to lead groups in outdoor spaces 🏔️
Running has been a fun portal into wonderful opportunities that I never could’ve imagined or had access to— from running for a Hoka campaign in South Africa, to restoring trails in Sweden! — and the friends I’ve made along the way have been truly inspiring.
The communities I’ve been welcomed into through running have all been about lifting one another up and making running more accessible so I hope that I can do the same and show you that anyone can be a runner 🙏❤️
📸: @emmiecoll@1_in_the_gutter
RESTORE THE TRAILS CAMP — KILIAN JORNET FOUNDATION X FJALLMARATON
An incredible few days of restoring trails in Sweden with @kilianjornetfoundation & @fjallmaraton , learning about direct actions towards sustainability in sport and of course, running together on the trails and mountains.
To say that it was inspiring is an understatement. I couldn’t help but fall in love with everything the foundation & race organisers are doing - sharing their love and passion for nature, and finding ways to carry on doing this for year to come.
I’m not the fastest runner, but I’m a happy one and I owe a lot of that to the beauty that nature offers. I hope that these trails carry on giving and inspiring others too 💛🙏🏽
📸: @emmiecoll@1_in_the_gutter
HOKA MAFATE X 🦅
What a privilege and joy to work with this entire team and run some of the most beautiful and technical trails in Cape Town for this campaign 🙏🏽🥰
📸: @ryanmcginleystudios
Movement as an act of devotion, radicalising rest. There’s not much to say other than I’ve been loving the baby steps into balance. Life has been simple and that’s plenty for me 🙏🏽☺️💛
