Olympic Medallist, Sally Gunnell, gives running a healthy boost

Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell is lending a hand – and her fast feet - to a new campaign spearheaded by Sport England to get more people involved in running.

 Made possible by funding support from cruise line Royal Caribbean International and delivered in partnership with Run England, the new Royal Caribbean Runners groups are designed to encourage health and fitness in everyday life in this high profile year.

Sally Gunnell explains:

“There is simply no better time to get healthy than right now. Fitness has always played a key part in my life and I’m thrilled to be sharing this passion to help get people motivated and taking their first running steps. Getting involved is easy and whether you’re a seasoned athlete, a weekend warrior or a beginner looking to start your first run, the Royal Caribbean Runners groups are making now the time to do it.”

 Supported by Royal Caribbean International and Sport England, the new running groups will see individuals take part in a 12 week programme designed to improve their health and fitness in a fun and supportive environment. Not just for hardcore fitness fanatics, the new running groups are all about growing grassroots participation in the sport and getting Londoners to see the many benefits that come from staying active in day-to-day life.

Anyone joining a new Royal Caribbean Runners group will receive goodies and incentives to aid motivation. Participants will receive a dedicated ‘Royal Caribbean Runners’ t-shirt on sign-up and those that complete the 12 week course will also receive a waterproof running jacket. Group leaders recruiting ten people or more into the new programme will receive an iPod Shuffle and, as an extra incentive, all leaders and runners will be entered into a prize draw to win a cruise for two people on board Royal Caribbean International's Independence of the Seas in 2012, sailing directly out of Southampton.

Dominic Paul, Royal Caribbean International’s vice president and managing director, Northern Europe, UK and Ireland said:

“From sports courts to surf simulators, making investments that get people active has always been a key part of Royal Caribbean International’s business. Our ships are designed with fitness features in mind and because our guests have so much fun being active onboard we wanted to bring this to life - on land.  After Sally enjoyed a cruise holiday with us, and raved about the fitness facilities onboard, we wanted to encourage more people to get active both onland and at sea. With Sally and Sport England’s help we’re taking our fitness focus one step further and hope to motivate both runners and those who have never run before to get and stay fit.”

Richard Lewis, Sport England’s Chair, added:

“Our aim is to build partnerships that will help us to grow and sustain participation in sport at the grassroots level. Royal Caribbean offers a huge range of sports activities on board their cruise ships and our relationship represents an extension of their commitment to encouraging active lifestyles. Royal Caribbean running groups are open to and can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of ability and we hope the support and motivation of others will inspire more people to take up the sport, building a lasting legacy beyond this year’s Games.” 

The Royal Caribbean Runners groups are currently available in London. For more information and to find running groups in your area please visit www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/runners. All Royal Caribbean Runners groups are coordinated through Run England, the official England Athletics running project aimed to get the whole nation running. This includes training of leaders through UK Athletics for the Leadership in Running Fitness qualification, a fantastic benefit facilitated through the Run England programme.

Royal Caribbean International is the world’s most innovative cruise line and leads the way in the scope and range of facilities onboard its ships. Adrenalin filled onboard features include rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, running tracks, surf simulators, scuba diving pools and much, much more. Gyms onboard Royal Caribbean International ships are some of the best in the fitness world – on one ship alone there are over 158 fitness machines. Royal Caribbean International’s ships sail throughout the world, including from UK ports of call.

In from the cold or out in the elements?

It's been a bit chilly lately! Do you prefer to be out in the cold or on the treadmill in the gym?

Keep it real

We're now more than a month into 2012 and many runners started the year with a new target. Chances are that you were excited, enthusiastic and motivated. The key is to realise that those feelings normally fade at some point during your build up but to ensure that you stick to the programme there are a few things you can do.

Support Glasgow 2014 - Sport your trainers

Sport Your Trainers is a national campaign run by Glasgow 2014 which encourages everyone across the country to wear their trainers on Commonwealth Day – 12 March 2012.

Intermediate Race Directors' Course ready to go

It gives us great pleasure to announce that the Race Directors' Course is now available at intermediate level. Through 2009 and 2010 we rolled out the accredited course to 130 Race Directors who can now take the opportunity to progress to the next level. The course will take place on 19 February at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.

This is a great opportunity to look at the detail of further issues and stragegy generation in race organisation including substantial practical sessions in risk assessment. Currently this is the only course scheduled for this year so book early to avoid disappointment. Twelve of the twenty places have already been snapped up. The cost is £50 to cover hire of the venue and lunch.

For general enquiries about the course, please contact Manjinder Singh either by e-mail on msingh@uka.org.uk or by phone on 0121 713 8474.

Photo: Gary Mitchell