A Life More Adventurous – Meet Chrissy Raider
The hiking community on Instagram is full of inspiring people and in our ‘A Life More Adventurous‘ series, I love to meet people who are out there inspiring others to get outside more and improve their mental and physical wellbeing. In this interview, I ask Chrissy Raider about how a passion for hiking completely transformed her life and how it all began.
Chrissy Raider is a living and breathing advert for getting outside! Her story shows the transformative power of ‘unprocessed exercise‘ beyond the confines of the gym. Once overweight and battling PTSD, Chrissy unearthed the healing that nature, hiking and becoming part of a community of outdoorsy people could offer.
Chrissy’s new found love of hiking not only helped her shed pounds and overcome PTSD, it also provided her with solace and strength to overcome a cancer diagnosis and a divorce. Today, Chrissy thrives with a renewed outlook on life, fuelled by the supportive hiking community she found both online and in real life.
A Life More Adventurous – Chrissy Raider
You haven’t always been outdoorsy? Can you tell us about how you got into hiking?
I have always been very much a girly girl that lived in expensive heels and wouldn’t dream of having a wild wee! I had always been a gym goer but was always very overweight. I was fed up with the judgement on my fitness levels because of my weight so wanted to sign up to an event to prove to myself and others that I was physically fit. The first event I signed up to was the Action Challenge Isle of Wight ultra marathon. 106 kilometers around the circumference of the Island. My friend and I trained together running the streets of Nottingham.
On the day of the event it would seem our training wasn’t adequate! we had never seen a trail before and it was so muddy. We quit at 77k covered in mud after hating every minute. I drove away from the island leaving my running shoes there!
A week later I decided I wouldn’t be beat and vowed to return to the island the following year to finish what I’d started. I decided I would hike the route rather than run as I had seen many others with boots and sticks.
I started training every weekend in the Peak District to get used to the terrain of trails. This is where my love of the outdoors began.
You mention that your hiking cured your PTSD, in what way do you think it helps to get outside and walk/run
Being outdoors helps you put everything into perspective. You have lots of time to yourself when hiking and you are not worrying about outside issues. The main thing for me though was the sense of freedom and the perspective you get when sat on a summit eating your well earned sandwiches. Everything is so much bigger than you, nature is so powerful. Your issues seem insignificant in comparison and I think it allows you to accept that there are things outside of your control and make the best of what you have there and then. You become eternally grateful for the little things.
What advice would you give, especially to women who are unsure about how to get into hiking/trail-running and why do you think it’s such a great way to boost physical and mental health.
Don’t wait for someone to come out with you! Make time for yourself and get out there. It can be intimidating starting out but start small and build your confidence. Heading out on your own, seeing new things, building your fitness and reaching those summits alone is so powerful.
Interested in Hiking?
Read our tips for getting started with hiking in our Complete Beginners Guide to Hiking
Can you let us know your favourite route for getting outside and why you love it?
I love to explore and see new places so rarely go to the same place twice but I do love the Three Shires Head/Shutlingloe circular, Its such a lovely mix of water, mountains and forest and is different every time you do it.
In this new series ‘A Life More Adventurous’, I will be sharing the inspiring stories of popular outdoor enthusiasts who share their adventures on social media. These adventurous hikers, runners, swimmers and paddle boarders all share a passion for the great outdoors, offering insights, tips, and personal experiences that motivate us to ‘Get Outside‘, explore and appreciate the stunning scenery here in Great Britain.
By Hilary Pullen
Meet Hilary, Editor of Get Outside – the Ordnance Survey Blog. Hilary is based in North Wales and loves hiking with her dogs in the mountains of Eryri and Bryniau Clwyd, you can find her on Instagram @nearlyuphill and read her guides to walking in North Wales on her blog. Drop her an email hilary.pullen@os.uk if you are interested in posting an article on Get Outside.
