'I lost 10 stone and ran 10km in under an hour'

Lucy Hughes only started running six months ago

Standing at the start line of her first ever 10 kilometre race, Lucy Hughes is feeling tired.

Having not slept well the night before, her body is also racked with nerves.

She had only taken up running six months ago and within the past two years had lost 10 stone - more than half her body weight.

She feels a lot is riding on this one event.

"I hadn't put much pressure on myself in terms of getting a good time," Lucy, a mother of two from Norwich, says.

"My goal was to get to the end and feel strong, and sprint the last 100 metres.

"I just really wanted to give a good account of myself for how much work I'd put in leading up to it."

Before losing weight Lucy was almost 20 stone (127kg)

Two years ago, Lucy, now 38, had had enough of being overweight.

It was something she had struggled with her whole life and despite trying all of the "well known diets", none of them had worked.

"I wasn't happy with the way I looked and everything was more difficult; just walking around or going into the city," she says.

"I wanted to feel me again, have more confidence and go out with the kids and not think 'how far have I got to walk?' or 'am I going to feel out of breath'."

Lucy decided to cut back on unhealthy food and "move a little more".

"I adopted a calorie controlled diet," she says. "I was still eating the things I wanted to eat but just in moderation."

Over the next two years, Lucy would lose 10 stone (63.5 kg) and drop six dress sizes.

"I feel like a new person. I'm in a healthy BMI (body mass index) range and I can do anything now."

Lucy hopes she has inspired her two sons to work hard and believe in themselves

With "needing something else to focus on", Lucy took up running in March this year.

She began with parkrun at Sloughbottom Park in Norwich, and with the support of colleagues at City College, where she works as an employment coach for young people, she started running further and further.

"Running wasn't love at first sight for me," she laughs. "I just took it day by day and started off by going on short runs, which were hard. But the more I did it the easier it got."

As Lucy started to enjoy running more, she decided to book her first official race; Run Norwich, a 10km (6.2 mile) race on 8 September.

Lucy says she had "never been a runner" until six months ago

Dressed in black with her race number proudly pinned to the front of her vest, Lucy, along with almost 7,000 other runners, ran through the picturesque streets of Norwich.

Taking in the atmosphere, which the race is known for, she found it fun but challenging.

"For the last kilometre, in my mind I was saying to myself 'oh my god, I have actually done this' because at that point I knew I was going to do it," she says.

"And as I crossed the line the feeling was just elation. To have achieved something that two-and-a-half years ago would never have been possible. I wanted to cry.

"And I actually managed to sprint the last 100 metres so I'd achieved what I set out to do."

Lucy crossed the finish line in 56 minutes and 27 seconds.

"I definitely have the running bug now and I've already signed up to another 10k in a couple of weeks," she says.

"And maybe next year I'd like to think a half marathon is on the cards."

Lucy celebrated with colleagues after the race

Lucy says she hopes she has taught her two teenage sons that with hard work and tenacity they can achieve anything.

"Run Norwich has proved that I can do anything if I put my mind to it," she adds.

"When you're overweight it can be really overwhelming to think how much you need to lose.

"I never set out to lose 10 stone because I never thought something like that would be possible.

"But I would say, don't think about how much you have to lose, just think about what you can do today to make tomorrow better."