So far, I think 2016 has been more than a bit crummy. But rather than wallow and consume my body weight in Easter chocolate (it was one time ok?) I thought I’d highlight some amazing people that have grabbed my attention in the last couple of weeks for all of the right reasons. Here they are in no particular order. Bugger off negativity – you’re not welcome here.

Serena Williams

When Indian Wells CEO Raymond Moore decided to open his trap and tell the world that “if I were a lady player, I would go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were born. They have carried the sport”, he rightfully incurred the wrath of Serena Williams, one of my favourite ever sportswomen. When asked her thoughts on the dinosaur’s comments she replied “those remarks are very much mistaken and very, very, very inaccurate… Obviously I don’t think any woman should be down on their knees thanking anybody like that.”

Whenever Serena has the audacity to speak up on things like this, there will always be some “clever” type who calls her a man (threatened by a strong woman much?) or who makes vile comments around what she could be doing on her knees (ditto) but somehow I doubt they’d have the guts to say any of this to her face. Although I’d like to see them try. I called out Eurosport on these comments on one of their articles and some have since been removed, although whether this was down to my tweet or not I can’t say:

Moore has since quit.

Milla Bizzotto

Milla Bizzotto is an incredible girl who recently completed a 24 hour obstacle race designed by Navy Seals. She raced 36 miles, swam eight kilometers and completed 25 obstacles.

And did I mention that she’s only 9 years old?

Milla has said that she got into fitness because she was being bullied at school. In an interview she said “People would call me names and say I wasn’t a good player. I didn’t want anyone else to go through what I did. I want to set an example and show other kids that they can do or be anything they want.”

Source: Instagram

She says that she wants to inspire a generation – I don’t know about you, but I think she’s going to be inspiring every generation. I know she makes me want to push that little bit harder. Now go climb that rope.

Eddie Izzard

I feel almost silly saying this because everyone knows Eddie and the incredible challenge he’s just completed, and I think everyone sees him as a bit of a hero right now. But in case you’ve been living under a social-media deflecting rock for the last month, Eddie ran 27 marathons in 27 days in South Africa in temperatures in excess of 40 degrees. Why 27? Because that was how many years Nelson Mandela spent in prison.

Eddie did all of this in the name of Sport Relief, and so far he’s raised a staggering £2,219,412. And if you think he’s incredibly awesome, you can still sponsor him.

Lindsay Hilton

You probably know that I’m a big fan of strong girls. I love watching videos of Ninja Warrior women like Katie McDonnell and Jessie Graff. So when I saw the video of adaptive CrossFitter Lindsay Hilton doing the rounds, I was instantly hooked on seeing more. Chucking out weighted lunges, burpees and pull ups, Lindsay gives serious workout goals (and glute goals for that matter).

ZANE WOODFORD/METRO

She also plays and coaches rugby and won a burpee competition where she managed 34 in 60 seconds(!).  The thing I like most about Lindsay is that it’s clear from her instagram that she’s a woman after my own heart – up for giving everything a go, and a fan of a pain au chocolat.

Elise Downing

Right now, there is a woman running 5000 miles around the coast of the UK. Yep, you read that right. Over 10 months, Elise plans to run around our “little” island with her belongings on her back, all in the name of charidee. In this case it’s for  Young Minds and Beyond Food. Ultimately, Elise is running in the name of happiness. Is that not a beautiful concept? Running is her happy. She’s just doing it to the extreme.

Credit – Elise Downing, Twitter

Elise is currently in Wales. You can follow her on Twitter for terrifying sock updates and sponsor her here.

Also, she loves cake. This doesn’t guarantee that I’ll think you’re awesome, but I’ll be honest – it helps.