She left school at eighteen and began training as a nurse, but moved on to go to work for the Youth Hostels Association (YHA).
[4] She returned in 1984 for another attempt at the British Fell Championships (as it was now called), managing to win it that year and again in 1985,[5] giving her three titles in total.
Pauline had also set the course record for the Ben Nevis race on 1 September 1984, with a time of 1:43:25,[9] which stood for 34 years before being broken by 24 seconds by Victoria Wilkinson in 2018.
She set new marks in the 1984 season at the fell races at Fairfield, Borrowdale, Latrigg (which lasted 21 years),[10] Three Shires and Dunnerdale.
Stuart competed in the first World Cup of Mountain Running, in San Vigilio, Italy, in 1985, finishing ninth,[11] despite feeling sick, not knowing that she was pregnant.