About Kathryn Holloway and Positive Fitness

My love for keeping fit and running started when I was nine years old growing up in the UK. I was fortunate to have an amazing sports teacher at my junior school who convinced me to join the school cross country team. I was a shy kid with terribly goofy teeth and was often the brunt of the school playground jokes. Running was my escape, it gave me a sense of freedom to be me, and was a great boost to my confidence and self esteem, especially as I started to place well and even win some of the races I competed in.

It wasn't long before my teacher (Mrs Dean) talked to my mum and recommended that I join an Athletics club. I had some wonderful coaches in my years at Wolverhampton & Bilson Athletics club, and went on to represent at a national level and then to represent England in schoolgirls cross country. I travelled England competing and training where I was fortunate to gain the expertise of some of the UK's top coaches, many of whose techniques I still use today. I also owe a tremendous amount to my amazing and supportive mum who always made sure I had the best running gear, would drive 40 miles to get me to my twice weekly training sessions and then drive me to competitions hundreds of miles away on Sundays. (I love you mum!)  

Fast forward 25 years and thousands of kilometres in my legs later, I was relocated with my job to Sydney in 1999 where I now live with my husband Bruce and our three beautiful children, Charlie, Ruby and Lucy. I'm still doing what I have always loved...and that is to run, and boy what an amazing place this is to do it!   

I have run many distances over the years, but never had I attempted a marathon. In March 2008 I completed my debut marathon in Canberra and completely surprised myself clocking 3 hours 18 minutes, earning me the fastest female debut title. At the end of that race, I vowed never to run another marathon! How quickly we forget the pain, because five months later, I was the 9th woman home in the Sydney marathon, in a time of 3 hours 9 minutes. A very proud moment for me and an experience I will never forget. I have gone on to run many more marathons as well as 100km ultra endurance events.  

Throughout my 20 year career in the financial services industry, I was so grateful that I had such a love for exercise and running. It became my time to think, escape from corporate politics and "just be me". In 2010 I left the corporate world, and decided to pursue my passion for fitness and running, soon realising that the well being I derived from it was something I could share and help others to attain. 2010 ultimately saw the launch of my dream to own a fitness and running coaching business proudly named “Positive Fitness”.

I love the challenge of helping people get stronger, feel better about themselves and to achieve goals they didn’t think were possible. I want to help people make exercise a lifelong ritual, so it’s not just a five-week plan, but a whole new approach to life.