Before you think that running is not for you, as you aim to avoid your school PE lessons and running sounds worse, please think again.
You might dread your PE lessons now, but once school is behind you, there is no longer the ‘compulsory’ sport to help you stay in shape and it is easy to soon lose track of overall fitness and agility, even when you look slim and trim and do not think you need exercise.
Running is fabulous. It is a non-effort, low threshold, activity, with especially great benefits for your mental well-being. And a run, no matter how short, will immediately clear your mind and improve your mood. If you like to run with others to stay motivated, join a casual run club. Doing sports with others makes for more fun and better results.
Puresport have entered this ‘doing fun sports together’ space with their weekly, no fee, run clubs. Puresport was launched as a medical products company by the former rugby player and ex-Glasgow Warriors’ scrum half, Grayson Hart, who created a range of effective medical remedies to help heal his many injuries and then commercialised them to help others too. But more than just developing good products, Puresport wanted to build a community, because looking after your body requires a cooperating mind and – after all – doing sports and/or following a training program is more fun when done together with others.
Puresport wanted to reach out to likeminded individuals - who can share their vision to look after their health and overall wellbeing - and start running together.
“Everyone has the potential for greatness” is their motto, and they believe in pursuing greatness through both mind and body. So, as well as offering health products, they also run the Puresport Run Club and Fitness Club.
TalksforTeens.com spoke to Charlie Smith, a member of the Puresport team, who ran an incredible 82km to raise money for Bone Cancer Research in memory of his friend Sam Fitzsimmons. This long and arduous run and the training for it was what inspired him to join Puresport and set up their run club.
The Puresport run club started in April 2021 in Battersea Park, London with just 15 people and 100 Instagram followers. Now it has over 2,500 followers and an incredible amount of engagement from runners who show up in droves for the weekly run.
Absolutely everyone is welcome to come along to the club, whatever your running or fitness ability. The run club takes place every single Wednesday at 6.15pm at Battersea Park, London. Check out updates on Pure Sport Run Club (@puresport_runclub) • Instagram photos and videos
During our interview Charlie said: “the run club really helped me take the stress out of my own training, which was often very long and solitary. Having others join in running, made it famously ‘light work’. The energy that the Puresport team bring to the run club every Wednesday is just amazing. We genuinely live and breathe it, and the running together creates just such a positive, non-judgemental and inclusive environment.”
This community aspect of sport is incredibly important; exercising with others encourages you not only to reach a higher level of fitness, but also gives you that conversation and connection you might be missing if you venture to the gym or are off on a run on your own.
As a young person who moved to London for work himself, Charlie mentioned that: “run clubs, like ours, help you break those initial barriers to conversation, and to overcome the nerves of meeting new people. You can meet all kinds of people and get both many running and fitness tips or – at times - even CV and career advice! And of course, it is very nice to have a chat to wind down after the working day.”
Puresport’s running sessions on Wednesdays are for everyone. There are runners of all levels and the atmosphere is truly buzzy and energising. The team are fun and the whole thing makes you feel that you can indeed do it. You just show up and join the run. It is not a competition. Puresport are hoping to bring their run club to other London parks soon.
Speaking about his own incredible achievement of running 82km, Charlie said it hadn’t really sunk in yet.
“I’m still processing it, and I haven’t really been able to sit down and reflect on what an achievement it was. Emotionally it was quite tough, and I was having to get myself out of a bad mental health space – to me it was more than just a run, and I really had to push myself to leave that negative headspace.” You can, btw, follow Charlie’s running page on Instagram and donate to his Gofundme page @runforfitzy.
So, if you’re keen to get off the sofa and see how far you can push yourself on the running track, then check out Puresport’s Run Club at least once. Come on @puresport_runclub! Lace up your shoes, have a laugh, and get running. Famous first steps…..
Recommended Links:
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/how-running-affects-mental-health#1
About Us | UK's Best CBD Oil For Athletes • Pure Sport CBD
https://www.businessinsider.com/health-benefits-of-running-2018-4?r=US&IR=T
These are the best outdoor workouts in London | Gentleman's Journal
Pure Sport Run Club (@puresport_runclub) • Instagram photos and videos
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