Farnham Runners’ Jane Georghiou won the Service to Sport award at the Farnham Sports Awards.

The awards are the town’s annual showcase for local sport.

Since the 1970s, the Service to Sport award has been one of the most sought after in terms of clubs wanting to recognise long and outstanding service to their club. The list of past winners on the trophy reflects special people who, over the years, have propped up and really made a difference to local sport.

One of the minimum criteria for the award is that the winner must have served their club or sport in a key role for at least ten years – and the winner for 2025 more than met all the criteria, for her running and coaching achievements and her long and dedicated service to Farnham Runners.

Jane Georghiou is, in fact, unique. She won the Farnham Sports Personality of the Year award as long ago as 2007 and in 2016 she won the Sports Coach of the Year award and no one in Farnham has ever completed that triple success before. That makes for a remarkable all-round contribution to sport.

She continues to impress with her contribution and service to sport. In fact, her achievements, running and organisational, are too many to list.

In essence, she has won many middle distance and marathon races over the years and represented Great Britain at various age groups and successfully taken part in some World and European Masters Championships.

Beyond her racing achievements, she is an England Athletics Level Two athletics coach and from 1995 until last year she was the ladies’ captain of Farnham Runners, a voluntary position that required a lot of organising, hard work and dedication.

The Herald met up with Georghiou to find out more about her extraordinary sporting achievements.

“I was the second shortest in my year group at secondary school aged 11 and in a class with some girls very good at sport, so I didn’t think I was any good at it,” said Georghiou.

Despite that inauspicious start as a youngster, Georghiou soon stumbled into running as an adult and has flourished in the sport ever since.

“I had been in a mountaineering club and was used to long walks,” said Georghiou.

“While living in Germany I started running with colleagues to keep fit for skiing.

“My first race was 25km (15 miles) aged 31, when I came third out of 20 in the ladies event.

“After coming to Farnham, I knew about and took part in the 1988 Farnham half marathon as it was sponsored by the Herald.

“I did ten more races – all half marathons – but then ran the London Marathon in 1994.

“I joined Farnham Runners soon after that and was then racing most weekends.”

Georghiou has enjoyed many achievements throughout her impressive running career.

“I am proud of my time of 1:26.51 in the 2001 Gosport half marathon which placed me third on UK F45-49 tables for the year, aged 49,” she said.

“I am also proud of winning my first international individual bronze medal for cross-country in the World Masters Indoor Athletics Championship in 2008 in Clermont-Ferrand and helping the Great Britain W55 team to gold.”

Georghiou has seen plenty of changes in the running world since she first took up the sport.

“More people are now running at all standards and distances from the 5km parkruns to off road ultras,” she said. “There’s more options.”

Georghiou has been an active member of Farnham Runners for more than 30 years. While there have been changes at the club over time, some elements remain the same.

“Farnham Runners gained many more members after one of the chairmen set up a website,” said Georghiou.

“With more members and guidelines from UK Athletics the running groups now have to be more organised.

“However, some things don’t change – Farnham Runners have been able to continue with the social events which were instigated by our founder members in the late 1980s.”

Georghiou enjoys plenty of other activities besides running.

“I started going to Yoga classes years before I did any running and I think this has helped me to avoid injuries,” she said.

“I have cycled, or walked, for most journeys of up to ten miles since joining Farnham Friends of the Earth in the late 1980s and still do.

“I also go on cycle touring/camping holidays with my husband. I now do some classes at a local gym.”

Georghiou has been inspired by one athlete in particular during her successful running career.

“I know a lady three years older than me, Ros Tabor, in the Veterans Athletic Club who after setting a new British age group for the marathon went on to specialise in shorter distances including track races,” said Georghiou.

“After two hip replacements she is still winning international medals.”

Running has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, with plenty of new runners taking up the sport, and Georghiou offered some advice for anyone thinking about starting running.

“I would say start very carefully and follow an England Athletics Get Me Started course or the NHS Couch to 5km and build up to a parkrun,” she said.

Georghiou believes there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to running alone or as part of a group or club.

“It depends very much on the person and what time they have available,” she said.

“Running clubs cater for all standards. Farnham Runners is a very friendly club and they organise the Get Me Started courses as well as lots of social events.”

Georghiou has received plenty of support throughout her running career, but credits one person in particular as her number one fan.

“I couldn’t have done this without the support of my husband David,” she said.

“He has accompanied me to many races, including those abroad, and makes sure I get to the start line on time. He has taken running photos of me and is the Farnham Runners webmaster.”

By David Gill