One year on from a seizure at the European Championships, Jess Warner-Judd talks about its lasting effects. his brain effectively shuts down to protect himself when he tries to run on the treadmill again, and how the roads have given him a chance to recover and enjoy his run.
Fully 15 months after a traumatic summer that ended with a seizure-induced DNF at the European Championships and finally a diagnosis of epilepsy, Jess Warner-Judd’s win in the big half was just the confidence she needed. “I felt really good,” she says. “For the first time in a long time, my race actually reflected how I felt in training, and I felt really strong.”
They were welcome words from the former world age group 800m medallist, who finished eighth in the 10,000m at the 2023 senior world championships and represented Team Great Britain at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
His experience in Rome last year. he barely remembers the 10,000m race, other than starting with a feeling of disconnection from his body, and has been well documented in the months that followed. An emotional rollercoaster start to 2025 that led to changing goals and an anticipated marathon debut in New York, less so.
Despite an incredibly challenging 2024, Warner-Judd, who started the year with a half marathon personal best of 67:06, ended the year with a nice run representing Blackburn Harriers on the road and cross-country (…so thankful to be happy, healthy, seizure-free and loving my running again on Instagram), she wrote.
Moving on to 2025, his form has returned, with half marathons in Houston (69:07), Barcelona (69:35) and Berlin (70:24) reassuring him that he’s making good progress, and so are his ambitions. “At first I thought it would take years (to get back in shape) but that’s the thing, as soon as I started getting fit I said,
Ironically, her original goal was to run a marathon this year. Warner-Judd told The Guardian in March that her intention was to complete 26.2 miles in 2025 if she competed as planned at the Paris Olympics. “I want to end my career on my terms, not with epilepsy,” he said at the time.
The turning point that eventually led to Plan A came at a low-key meeting in early May in California.
“The sessions I was doing at the time were really, really good, better than what I had done before Budapest (2023 World Championships),” he recalled. “I thought I’d go to America, do a 10km (Save the 10,000m with Des and Cara) then build from there, do a couple of 5kms and aim for the British Championships.”
He remembers the starting line of that 10,000m race, but the rest is a blur. With her husband Rob following, she began hyperventilating and panicking, eventually having to lie flat on her back to control her breathing. “I completely shut down,” she says.
In many ways it was déjà vu, a flashback to that terrible night in Rome last June. This time, however, his DNF was not caused directly by his epilepsy, but indirectly through a psychological response to the trauma. Warner-Judd recovered quickly and warmed to normal.
“I think the hard part in the beginning (returning to 2024) was that there was a lot to process,” he says, referring to his initial diagnosis. “We overcame epilepsy, then we worked on my confidence, so I initially started seeing a psychologist to manage my confidence and anxiety just getting back on the track and we thought we’d also tackle that race in the US and then the FAST5000m in Paris (in June). It was just weird.
“After everyone from the US thought it was because I was really worried. Doing 25 laps made me realize how important the mental side of the sport can be, but after Paris they realized that the natural trauma response was there. “Ah, this is what’s happening,” and it took a little while for that to click.
“I think when we found out in June (of this year) it was actually quite a relief because I realized it wasn’t because I was training badly or running badly, there was actually a reason for it and when it was explained it made sense;
“In Paris I was trying to think what I did wrong in the race, I was looking at the time (15:55.26) and I was thinking: “It’s so slow,” but then I said.
I was doing all these really good sessions, and even though I ended up in Paris, I couldn’t remember what happened. It turned out that I was dissociating from it because of the trauma I received from Rome. It was something completely new for us and in some ways I think it was harder than the actual injury.”
Disappointingly, Warner-Judd knew he would not be able to prove his fitness on the track. That point of view was echoed by experts. In fact, his own psychologist, as well as UK Athletics’ medical team, advised him to retire from the track altogether.
“They told me I had to break up (with him),” she explains. “They described it to me … like every time I compete I get a stamp and before I know it my body can’t take any more stamps and then I’ll probably want to retire because I’ll be so frustrated and so frustrated by it all.”
Switching to road running has eliminated the risk of a trauma response associated with running races. It also allows you to run into form rather than her great workouts not translating to racing. A less intense environment – more space, less flashing lights, no pyrotechnics – will also make for a better overall experience.
The TCS New York City Marathon on November 2, a distance penciled in for 2025 long before his epilepsy diagnosis and associated challenges, will provide the perfect stage.
Warner-Judd’s 16-week training block began in early July, coinciding with her move from Loughborough (where she completed a postgraduate degree in rehabilitation medicine in December 2024) to the Lancashire town of Clitheroe, and fittingly marking a new start in both life and running.
Since then, he has competed twice. a nice ride over seven miles in Falmouth, Mass., where he finished 10th in a field bursting with talent in 37:21, and most recently in London, where he won the aforementioned Big Half in 70:35. Together, they provided welcome validation for his decision to return to the roads.
Warner-Judd also enjoys marathon training, with long run sessions, double-session days and a new fall target that’s a welcome distraction from Tokyo’s track action and the associated “What If?”
“I really love it,” says the three-time London Mini Marathon winner, who is coached by her father. “Training is hard so I just want to get through it for a week, but there’s something about doing long things that feels really rewarding.
“The Sunday runs are some of the hardest,” he admits, but the rolling countryside around Clitheroe should be the perfect boost for New York’s famously undulating course.
“I always thought Chicago (one of the fastest marathon courses in the world) or somewhere like that would be my first marathon, but when I got this opportunity I thought the time doesn’t really matter, it’s a pretty big field and it’s going to be more of a race than maybe a small effort, so it takes the pressure off.
“I think that’s the thing, I wanted something where I wasn’t completely focused on the timing or having to hit certain breaks, I’d rather just see how it develops, and it fits perfectly.”
Perspectives change, and after turning off the runways and forgotten regions, the streets of New York will provide completely new experiences and memorable moments. It’s been a long road back for the 30-year-old, but there’s no rush for this one. After all, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
