A RUNNER whose dreams of competing at the Commonwealth Games ended in serious injury has rediscovered her love for the sport in a fundraiser that is close to her heart.

Georgina ‘Gee’ Outten, 24, put her running shoes back on for the first time in three years to run 5km, 10km, half marathon and marathon distances during January for the North Clwyd Animal Rescue.

A talented long-distance runner who won gold at the British Championships in the 800m and 1500m and represented Great Britain at the World Mountain Junior Internationals in France, Gee struggled to find her stride following the tibia stress fracture she suffered while preparing for Commonwealth Games qualifiers.

“I used to run a lot every day but I stopped since the injury,” she said. “I was in a bad place as I had put my heart and soul into running and dedicated my life to it.

“I wanted to get back into it and being in lockdown was a good opportunity to take up running again.”

She had trained at Colwyn Bay Athletics Club since about six years of age and in her teenage years it became clear that she had the potential to become a professional runner.

But it was during the recovery from her injury that Gee realised her new passion for canine care, launching her business Ginger Tails Dog Grooming in Rhuddlan last year.

In a similar vein she is hoping to raise £500 for the animal shelter which works to rehabilitate and rehome animals that have been abandoned or mistreated.

“I’m really glad that I found dog grooming and it has helped me a lot,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of support and amazing customers, although lockdown was not the ideal time to start!

“The shelter is a good cause to raise money for the charity to rehabilitate and rehome animals, which I’m passionate about.

“They do a lot of work to rehabilitate animals and it is much better to adopt from there than to shop for a pet. Hopefully it the money raised will help them to get more dogs and to rehome them faster.”

Donate to Gee’s fundraiser at by visiting the Just Giving page.