Amigos Running Club
Ladies Running Group
The Find Your Active small grant funding, provided by the London Marathon Foundation as a result of the Ford RideLondon-Essex 2023 event, were able to support this Rochford-based running club. Funding allowed for a course to run, by recruiting a run leader to help support the women in the group.
Amigos Running group was set up to bring women in the community together and encourage them to engage in running. With an aim to build intensity and distance over an 8 week programme, participants will finish the course being able to run 5km. Once the course is complete, the ladies are then able to continue on their active journey with a support network and a love for running.
The 8 week women only couch to 5km course has aimed to engaged inactive participants and support them in gradually building up their fitness and resilience.
To ensure the group was as inclusive as possible, the run leader encouraged the women to talk whilst running. This conversation helps to distract them from the running element, and also improved their overall wellbeing. Some of the women fed back that they had tried couch to 5k alone before and failed to complete it because they attempted it on their own, so this group was the perfect chance to take on the challenge again.
After completing the course, some of the participants are now taking part in parkrun and have signed up for longer runs and races. This has highlighted the positive impact the 8 week course has had on their overall fitness levels, as well as their perception of daily movement because running has become a part of their routine.
