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After leaving nursing due to her deteriorating health, Helen assumed sport was permanently off her radar. “I ������’t hop, skip, jump, and I certainly ������’t run,” she says. “I used to get so frustrated that I couldn’t move the way I used to.” Yet her introduction to Frame Running came almost by accident. “I found out about it through a total fluke,” she laughs. “Professor Marietta Van Der Linden, a physiotherapy researcher at Queen Margaret University, mentioned it to my husband - and it completely changed my outlook on what ��’m capable of.” 

Helen now trains once or twice a week with Team East Lothian at Meadowmill stadium in Prestonpans. With a Hypershell exoskeleton for extra support, she relies on the Frame to take her weight, enabling her to move more freely. “There’s no weight on my legs - my body is supported, so I can move my legs so much more easily.” 

The effect has been remarkable. After more than two decades, Helen can run again. “��’v�� never felt so free. When ��’m in the Frame, I ��Dz�’t feel like a disabled person - because ��’m actually running. And I ��Dz�’t need anyone helping me. ����’s just me and the Frame.” 

Motivated by her progress, Helen has set herself a major goal: a sponsored 5k Frame Run in early August to raise funds for the East Lothian group. “The coaches are devising a training programme to help me achieve it. Doing 5k in one go will be quite something - but ��’m a happy runner now, so ��’m up for the challenge.” 

Her training includes a 400 metre run around the track to get herself ready for more high intensity shuttle runs. This involves 25‑second bursts of fast Frame Running followed by rest periods. It takes her six or seven bursts of running to get round the full athletics track. This level of intensive exercise would otherwise be impossible for her. “It gets your heart rate up, your blood pumping and your legs moving,” she says. “Afterwards, my hips and legs feel far looser, and my pain is reduced.” 

The psychological benefits have been just as significant. “Frame Running has changed my whole mindset. Instead of focusing on what I ������’t do, I look forward to what I can do. ����’s opened my mind to the possibilities of sport - ��’m even thinking about trying archery. I thought having MS at 59 meant that world was closed to me.” 

Helen credits much of her progress to her coach, Cameron Smith, a Queen Margaret University sports rehabilitation student who supports several Frame Running groups. “Cameron has been fantastic. He understands that everyone has different needs and therefore ensures that each training session suits each person.” 

For Helen, Frame Running is far more than a sport - it has restored independence, confidence and joy. “����’s transformed what is physically possible for me and ��’v�� also made new friends. ����’s made me far more active than I ever thought I could be. Most importantly, ����’s made me feel alive again.”