JONI Southall loves running so much that she decided to make a business from it.

Last year, the mum of two from Osbaldwick set up See York Run York, offering guided tours of the city with a difference.

Participants swap walking boots for running shoes as they join energetic Joni on a 5km (three mile) jog through the city, taking in all the tourist highlights.

Joni fits in the tours around her day job as a litigation executive at Minster Law – which means early mornings, or in the evenings after work and at the weekend.

Early mornings, however, are her favourite. "It's lovely to run through York when there is no one around. You can even get down Shambles!"

The lack of people and traffic is also better for taking photos of all the best bits, she adds. "I always run with my phone in my hand, so I can take lots of photos," says Joni, aged 40, who began running as a child.

Tours start at the Minster, at the imposing west front, facing Duncombe Place. "This is my favourite part of York Minster," says Joni. "I love the window which is in the shape of a heart. It is the heart of Yorkshire and is very romantic. They say that if you have a kiss under that window you will stay together forever."

With that, we break out into a jog, heading for Monkbar, stopping briefly while Joni tells me about the more famous Rose window on the south side of the Minster, and to look at the statue of Emperor Constantine, who converted the Roman empire to Christianity.

We spurt down Goodramgate, avoiding early-morning commuters and delivery vans, then ascend the steps at Monk Bar – home, informs Joni, to the smallest jail cell in England.

Before you can say Richard III, we are on the bar walls. They are empty and we have a good stretch to go at. Although Joni is a marathon runner, she goes at a nice steady pace that suits me, who can just about manage to run a couple of miles slowly. "This is a good pace," says Joni. "It allows me to run and talk."

This section of the bar walls is my favourite – overlooking the beautiful gardens of Grays Court and offering great views of the Minster. It's a photo opportunity not to miss, and Joni stops to snap me with the Minster towers and spires in the background.

We descend at Bootham Bar (did you know one of the statues on the top is of a stone mason holding a model of the bar?), then cross the road to the art gallery and take in the statue of York's most famous artist William Etty, famous for his paintings of nudes. Joni tells me about another William Etty, the architect linked to the Red House in Duncombe Place. Are they related? I ask. Joni's not sure, but adds it to her mental list to find out later.

We run around the side of the gallery, parallel to Bootham, to reach the back, now boasting York's newest tourist attraction, Leisure Land Golf, the crazy-golf putting green made up of art installations. I make a note to myself to come back and have a go: it looks great fun.

From there it is through the edible garden and into Museum Gardens. There's lots of history in here, but we don't stop much, and Joni tells us about the decline of St Mary's Abbey and how Henry VIII built a wine cellar using stone from the ruins.

Squirrels rush past (faster than us) and we pause to take in the Multangular Tower, one of the gems in York's Roman past. Joni points out how the walls are designed in a curve rather than the more usual square. "This is so noone could hide behind them. It was a great innovation."

Good old Romans.

We pick up the pace and head up behind the Multangular Tower to see some Roman graves and the site of the former St Leonard's Hospital.

From there, Joni normally leads her runners up towards the railway station then over to Micklegate, down to Clifford's Tower and back into town, popping down the odd secret snickleway to take folk off the beaten track.

Boasting a York pedigree (she was raised in South Bank and went to Millthorpe school) she is ideally placed to give tourists a local's view of the best things to do and places to drink and eat in the city as well as recommend other routes for runners.

While the running tours are mostly for tourists, Joni is organising a series of 10k events for local people to enjoy.

Her first one is York's debut Chocolate 10k. It will take place on Knavesmire on Sunday July 23. It is sponsored by York's Chocolate Story and York Cocoa House and runners will receive a goody bag, commemorative medal, and, of course, some chocolate.

"Chocolate and running go together," insists Joni. "It is definitely the perfect reward at the end of a run."

True to her word, after our tour, she hands me a goodie bag with tourist info and maps about York as well as a KitKat Chunky and a Yorkie Bar. "It's got to be York chocolate," she says.

She came up with the idea of a chocolate run to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Terry's in York – both her parents had worked at the chocolate factory.

Also in the diary is the Gunpowder Plot 10k on Sunday, November 5 – again at Knavesmire (conveniently, two laps of the racecourse covers the distance). At the end of this, Joni will be handing out parkin and treacle toffee, all in commemoration of York's famous son, Guy Fawkes.

Joni said the aim was to get people of all fitness levels into running. She said: "York has quite a serious running side with a lot of club runners but I wanted to do something that would be a bit more fun and appeal to everyone."

See York Run York Tours last about 75 minutes and cost £15 per person. To find out more about the tours and/or to book a place on the 10k races, which cost between £16-£18, visit seeyorkrunyork.co.uk