I first got into athletics because I had a massive love of running from a really young age. I used to go running with my younger brother, who was a cross-country runner, and that’s how I got into it. Anyone who loves sport is competitive, and I became competitive simply by being good at running.

It was insane. I had never run in front of more than 80 people before, so performing in front of 80,000 people was quite daunting. I think people always expect me to say something really fantastic about it – and it was amazing – but I think the first word that always comes to mind is terrifying.

Still, it was great, and I knew what I had to do: go out there and do the best that I possibly could, which is why I set a personal best. I’d been running since 1996 by that point, which gives you an idea of how much went into London 2012.

Funnily enough, I didn’t really clock that I had a disability until much later in my life. Obviously, I knew I had a disability, but it wasn’t something I felt I was actively living with. I think the first time I was really exposed to disability was when I started doing disability sport.

I’m very determined, though I don’t know whether that is because I have a disability – probably – but it does mean I find different ways around things. I’m good at problem-solving because there are so many challenges that come with having a disability, and I think that mindset makes everything possible.

It’s a big fat yes – yes, it has. Just to give you an idea, in 1996 nobody would have come. In 1998, when I won my first gold medal at the World Championships, I had to stand on a box to receive my medal, which was actually presented by Lady Diana’s butler. I think there were about five people there, and most of them were probably my family. It’s changed so much.

But it’s not just about attitude. I genuinely think that everyone wants to do the right thing, so I don’t think attitudes have changed as much as information has. People are much more aware of disability now. Even during my education at school, I was the only person I ever met with a disability – I went to mainstream school after my parents put up a massive fight for me not to be in a disability school.

People now know more because everything is more integrated across the board. There’s more exposure to disability; we’re not just locked away. London 2012 really put people with disabilities front and centre of everything.

Personally, I can’t quite believe it’s been 10 years of doing this. I love it, but it’s been a slog – a very happy slog at that. What motivated me to start was the belief that mass-participation events should be about fun, and that people with disabilities should have the same opportunity to do sport for fun.

I have taken part in a few mass-participation events and found that they just weren’t able to cater for people with disabilities. My view was simple: everyone should have the opportunity to take part. For non-disabled people, you can go and do a Parkrun. In fact, before the pandemic, there were around 800,000 mass-participation events in the UK. But if you have a disability and you want to race alongside people like you, it’s the Paralympics or nowhere.

So, I thought, why not create an event series where people with disabilities call the shots? The idea was to create an event series that enabled everyone to take part in sport at a grassroots level. Not everyone with a disability wants to be a Paralympian, so the vision was clear: why not just have an event just for us?

This mission has evolved mainly from the participants themselves. In the first year, for example, someone turned up with an inflatable unicorn. From then on, we said people could bring any inflatables they wanted. We originally had boats for people who couldn’t swim so they could be towed, but now we let people be towed on anything. We even had someone who has their wheelchair strapped to a surfboard – it’s evolved entirely around what people need.

The name “Superhero Series” really came from wanting people to see their disability as something that makes them powerful – their superpower. If you’re an amputee, for example, you don’t get lactic acid. If you’re someone like me, you have bags of energy.

The event is for all ages, but especially for children, I wanted people to see their own powers. You do get people who say, ‘We don’t like being called superhuman; we’re just normal’. But the Superhero Series is really a tongue-in-cheek way of people with disabilities (our Superheroes) being front and centre of the event. Their carers, we call Sidekicks – all Superheroes need Sidekicks and it’s the partnership between the two that is powerful. Everyone comes dressed as a super hero and now that we’ve partnered with Marvel it gets encouraged more and more. At the end of the day, we just like people to have fun with the whole thing.

I just keep having more and more ideas, and so do the rest of the team! Think party invitations, think birthday cake – just think supersized silliness.

Like everybody else, it’s taken quite a lot of time to come back from the pandemic, but last year we finally got back to pre-pandemic levels of participation. So, I think this year you can expect a lot of celebration.

There are lots of people striving for equality, and everyone wants to be recognised. We’ve been through Black Lives Matter, we’re now fighting for gender equality, and I think the world needs to stop putting labels on what equality is. Equality is simply equality.

If more women want to be Paralympians and they’re at the right standard, then they should be Paralympians. If people with disabilities are just as capable as someone without a disability at doing a job, then they should have that job.

Unfortunately, elite sport is all about medals, so if you can win just as many medals with female athletes as with male athletes, then that’s great. It might sound a bit ruthless, but I know what it’s like to be part of the equality argument – I have a disability, I’m a woman and I’m a mum. Equality is key, but if we start fragmenting it into where equality needs to be, we all fall apart.

Anyone who wants to take part in sport, be that men or women, should start by finding something they love. For women, generally, when you hit a certain age, sport is much more difficult to get into. But anyone who wants to take part in sport should. Finding a sport you love, that doesn’t feel like a chore, should be leaned into.

Group sport is also really important. That’s where the Superhero Series comes in nicely, because you can take part with your friends and family.

I have no idea! This year, we see the launch of Sidekick Tri (which we haven’t officially announced yet!) – essentially flipping the Superhero Tri on its head. Our Super Partners can take on the Paralympic distance while our Superheroes act as the volunteers. It’s going to become a giant fundraiser, initially for the Superhero Series but then for multiple charities going forward.

superheroseries.co.uk