Debbie Bidmead Biography
Born in Tiverton to a farming, equestrian background, I started my journey very involved with horses. A member of the Tiverton Hunt Pony Club competing in all the team competitions qualifying for Stoneleigh and Hickstead.
I moved into seniors and competed in Affiliated show jumping competitions and was sponsored by a local car hire firm. I ran a family livery yard and looked after and trained a local business mans point-to-pointer. It was on this horse that I rode for the first time at the age of 18 ’over the sticks’ and loved it. I rode successfully for 6 years as an amateur jockey and National Hunt Racing with great success, until my first son in 1989.
Now living in Hertfordshire, I continued to ride for leisure until the birth of my second son in 1991. It was then that I gained much weight and found myself as a single parent. I found comfort in walking for miles with a double buggy! and then I started to jog, my love for running was born! I was brave enough to enter a local village fun run and won and then joined the local Running Club, Bishops Stortford R.C. I had a flare for running and competed regularly with success. My great strength was Trail Running, off road adventure running. I started to participate in a local aerobics class to improve my fitness further and muscular strength. I became hooked and eventually in 1994 qualified with the London Central Y.M.C.A. as a fitness instructor.
I moved back to Devon and became involved with children’s fitness as a Fit Club Coach. I was employed by Somerset County Council as a Joint Supervisor to form and develop an after school and out of school club for working parents in a rural community on Exmoor. I ran the club alongside community education co-ordinator, Jan Ross .M.B.E. I was involved in programming holiday activities, trips, health and fitness activities. It was highly successful and the ’Kids R Us Club’ in Dulverton is still operating today.
In 1996 I travelled to Lanzarote to compete in the International Running Challenge, 5 days of various long runs over different terrains and won the Senior Women’s Section. It was here that I met my second husband Howard, who is a very talented runner and a Level 4 Endurance Running Coach. With his coaching I went on to win many more big off road races and cross country marathons.
In March 2002, now living in West Sussex, I became the U.K’s Ultra Distance Trail Champion, covering 40 miles cross country and winning in 6hrs 33mins.
In 2003 my family and I moved back to Devon, where I currently teach many classes in the Tiverton Community. I am a member of the Witheridge Riding Club and also the local Tiverton Harriers R.C. My passion is teaching a lifetime of health and fitness to ALL and seeing the results in the many people that I meet along the way, it is very rewarding and a wonderful way to make so many like minded fit friends!
