Keep it clean

Well who is enjoying our summer? So much going on that’s it is difficult to find time in the day and those lazy days of the 70’s & 80’s seem a long way off. The wonderful Americas Cup came to our waters and whether you’re a nautical type or not, the sheer speed and composition of those things they call boats made for spectacular viewing and brought a buzz to both sides of the harbour. Another feather in Sir Ben Ainsley’s cap.

As ive run or cycled around our lovely town however, I can’t help but be disappointed in the shear volume of litter in our streets, parks and on our beaches. Whatever happened to having pride in your home? It’s not difficult to find a bin or take your rubbish with you and it certainly isn’t ‘someone else’s’ job. It seems that I’ve found a new part time role as litter picker as I run from A to B. It’s difficult these days to challenge any form of anti social behaviour but we can all do our bit.

If you’re struggling to find the get up and go to start exercising, we may have the answer for you in our new Thursday night class here at AR. Let me introduce Michelle:
My name is Michelle Yates and I am the founder of Ultra Courage Personal Training.

Ultra Courage PT provides bespoken training as part of an individualised lifestyle plan. Working towards your goal is a journey and one that we are excited to support you on.

One of the many aspects of exercise that has changed my life is realising the importance of varying your training. This is something I would like to share with you.

Whatever sport you participate in, it can be strengthened by other exercise. This is something that took me a long time to realise after lots of distance running.

What is your sport? Living in the beautiful south do you go sailing? Whether you compete or are part of a team core strength and coordination are key.

Do you prefer to run or cycle? Would you feel better if you didn’t get so tight and were able to recover quickly ready for your next session?

If you do not regularly participate in sport would you like to try something new that’s a little different and has proven health benefits?

I run a kettlebell class at Absolute Running every Thursday evening at 18:30.
Kettlebells are described as the ultimate training tool, they provide a highly effective, adaptable and dynamic approach for total body conditioning. They improve cardiovascular fitness, increase flexibility and core strength and can be used for generic strength training and endurance. It is also a great way to burn more fat!

Every session is different; it might include a new exercise or a different way of training. There is something for all of you so come and join in. First session is free!

You really can do anything you put your mind to.

For more information please visit: http://www.ultracouragept.co.uk or http://www.facebook.com/ultracouragept

So, there you go. Lots of positive stuff going on in your town and we’re always here to help if we possibly can.

You know what to do #FTS Follow the shoe…

Can you feel it coming?

Its almost time. Gosport’s Golden Mile is upon us once again with the addition of a Wheelchair 800 metre dash. Are we excited? Ooh just a little.

Local businesses have come up trumps and for the the 4th consecutive year, Bayside Cabin have kindly offered to not only host but donate sponsorship that enables us to award cash prizes.

On a very sad note, the Bayside Cabin recently lost one of it’s two founding members as our good friend and community stalwart Jackie Martin unexpectedly passed away following a very short illness. Adrian Chalk, Jackie’s surviving partner in business and life, along with her two lovely daughters Katie and Emma, have promised Jackie that her legacy is in good hands and as a small tribute, Absolute Running will introduce an all new trophy to remain at the Bayside Cabin. Called The Jackie Martin Commemorative Shield, it will be engraved with the name of the best represented Junior or Infant school.

Jackie will be watching with interest we feel sure and sharing our day with us.

On a lighter note, this year’s event promises to be better than ever as we have a Junior Golden Mile bursting at the seams and a growing list of Corporate teams raising money for our friends at GAFIRS. With the Kenyans and reigning champ Lewis Banner absent this year, there is a real chance for someone with a bit of speed in their legs to make their mark in the main event and it would be nice to see a local champ and even better to see a new course record…only 4 minutes 16 seconds to beat!

Gosport’s Golden Mile continues to grow and make people sit up and take notice. It’s an iconic distance and bizarrely, a race distance that’s becoming popular up and down the country. With Adidas and BBC South involved, it’s sure to be a spectacle for all and landing on the same day as Sultan Show and Father’s Day, a great event for the whole family. A morning on the beach? Breakfast at the Bayside Cabin? What more could a man want?

Postal entries are now closed but there may be entries on the day. Best way to guarantee a place on the start line is via http://www.nice-work.org.uk and we at Absolute Running hope that we can give you a day to remember.

In the meantime, check out our pages on Facebook : Facebook.com/gosportgoldenmile and come and join the fun. It’s your event after all. It’s GosVegas!

 

The power of community

 

Well, a lot of fuss has been made over the decision by Stoke Gifford Council to charge parkrun UK for the privilege of running through their local community park every Saturday. Whilst to many it seems unnecessary, belligerent and greedy it undoubtably misses the whole point of parkrun which is that it encourages whole families to become active and brings all parts of a community together, if only for one hour every Saturday.

There have always been those for whom the weekly ‘invasion’ of weekend warriors is too much to stomach. Why should they walk Dave the family dog earlier, later or in a slightly different location? How rude that the hoards of runners should expect them to deviate ever so slightly from a well trodden path! I can’t help feel that if those who object simply got involved and even applauded the young and old in their endeavours, they may even find themselves feeling good about life.

Ask the local cafe owners if they are pleased to see this national phenomenon on their doorstep or even councils who quietly benefit from car parking charges. Sports retailers also enjoy increased footfall as these new runners look to enhance their kit and gadgets.

But the most obvious testimony to how effective this movement has been in bringing communities together came on Saturday 30th April at Lee On The Solent.

At  9am , the usual gathering of 250 plus runners began arriving at the briefing area adjacent to the amusement arcade but on this day, the numbers kept growing. In a touching mark of respect to a founding member of the local event , runners from many of the local running clubs assembled in their club colours. Giles Cowling, Chairman of Gosport Road Runners and a man for whom community was everything had lost his short fight with cancer but to prove that his legacy was flourishing, his beloved Road Runners ‘took over’ the event, providing marshals, timekeepers and pacemakers to a record 485 runners whilst the promenade became a sea of colour as inter club rivalries were put to bed for one glorious celebration of achievement. Now that has got to be worthwhile right? Worth an hour of anyone’s weekend….AND for the most part, it is completely free to all.

We are very lucky locally in that car parking charges don’t apply until 10am so it’s only those that wish to enjoy the local shops and cafes post run that are expected to pay a nominal fee but hey, fresh air, exercise and meeting friends is a fair swap right? You know what to do…get involved. #keepitlocal

It’s gotta be fun!

As a family of runners, we at Absolute Running are always attending events of one sort or another. We belong to several training groups and take part in many of the running related events both local and those further afield from marathons to parkruns and in the main, those activities have avoided the plague of the ‘pushy parent’. We’ve all seen them at junior football matches or swimming galas and to be honest, no sport is completely immune from this issue but recently it has become more prevalent at junior running events.

There is a fine line between encouragement and being pushy but the trouble with being pushy is that the only guaranteed outcome is that the recipients will stop enjoying the activity.

If we stick with running for the purpose of this article as the comparison with other sports is an easy one to make.

It is no surprise that the current Renaissance in running is seeing an all time high in participation levels amongst children and teenagers. This primarily is because most adult races have a junior ‘fun run’ attached and the title ‘fun run’ is used because that is how event organisers want the races to be used…an opportunity to get the kids off the games consul and out in the fresh air. The kids will decide how competitive they want to be and if, at some point they find that they are naturally quite good and competitive, that is the time to get a bit more serious with parental involvement but only with a measured approach. Being competitive comes with built in stresses and needs carefully managing to avoid that burn out that sees a love and passion turn into a dread of lacing up the trainers.

It disturbs us to see a parent dragging a clearly distressed young person along the route of local parkruns. The whole purpose of parkruns is to encourage a more social involvement which is why parkrun UK are keen to emphasise that these community events are NOT races. You can choose to be competitive, and of course, many do, but that is the point, it’s your choice.

For a parent to vicariously live their lives through their kids is misguided and counter productive. If your offspring wants to run or take part in any sporting activity, result! Rejoice and be satisfied. Don’t break that special bond that can be enjoyed when families come together to enjoy sharing sport.

The Absolute Running 545 RunClub which takes place from the shop every Wednesday could just as easily be called ‘FunClub’ as the pace is dictated by whoever turns up to run. No coaching, timing or shouting allowed. Turn up, warm up, run and have a laugh whilst getting fresh air and exercise. Some of those who run with us make the decision to join running clubs or take part in organised events that enable them to be more competitive. But it’s their choice.

Summer is coming so let us all enjoy our GosVegas Garden, pressure free.

Keep it local…Follow the shoe #FTS

Already we’re hearing ‘where has this month gone?’ and we have to agree. We all lead such hectic lives that time passes more quickly it seems. New Year resolutions have already become history for many and most of us are back in the old routine with gyms becoming less hectic and fast food outlets resuming business as usual. The one constant seems to be running. Everyone is doing it or so it appears and races are being filled more quickly than ever. As we all withdraw into our humdrum lives the one constant is the weekend sporting activities where we meet our friends either during our long runs or at an event. Photos and blogs describing our weekend activities fill social media and records from a variety of activity trackers are proudly uploaded to our PC’s and devices to be shared amongst the world wide sporting community. But there is the key word. Community. Everyone likes to belong to one community or another and community is a force for good. Community is powerful. Community gets things done. If we feel part of a community we share in the collective achievements and failures. Community will be our salvation if used positively and we take pride in our businesses and parks, beaches and public spaces. All those things that we have come to take for granted but are threatened by our apathy. We live in a beautiful part of the country with great coastline and open spaces right here on our doorstep. Alverstoke Valley, Stokes Bay, Stanley Park, Hillhead and Meon Shore to name a few of the more obvious places but all used by our community 7 days a week all year round. We should be grateful but we should also do our bit to maintain these areas. The amount of dog fouling and litter is bordering on the ridiculous and goes unchecked as its someone else’s problem right? It’s not really. They are our public spaces and its up to us all to do our bit to help maintain their beauty & hygiene. Collectively we make a difference. We should care.

One of these public playgrounds will be the focus of much of what we at Absolute Running do in 2016. Gosport’s Golden Mile returns for it’s 4th consecutive event with the addition of a wheelchair 800 metre promenade race and the exciting possibility of a new course record in our main race, the senior Golden Mile. The Bayside Cabin are once again our hosts and they increased their sponsorship to a very generous £750 to be shared as cash prizes to category winners. This sort of involvement allows us to attract international athletes to race alongside club and fun runners over a chip timed Mile dash. Without local businesses being part of our day, these events couldn’t happen so we are obviously thrilled that our community chooses to get involved. Have you ever taken part in such occasions by running or marshalling or even as a sponsor? If not, would you? As a volunteer Marshall you will be amazed by how how grateful the race participants will be. It’s a real ‘feel good’factor. As a sponsor, you will be added to our race website and banners and possibly invited to share our race village on the day so that you can see up close and personally just how much of a positive impact you will be having on your community. It’s pretty much a win win thing. Schools can win a £300 cash prize and GAFIRS will be the beneficiaries of our Corporate Team race so if your workplace fancy a go, now’s  the time to get your colleagues galvanised. Either pop into Absolute Running for a chat and collect an entry form or log onto our race website for more info.

http://www.gosportgoldenmile.uk

If your New Year resolutions are in danger of expiry, Gosport’s Golden Mile is local, it’s fun and it’s ‘only a Mile’ therefore achievable.

We hope that you can join us on Sunday 19th June when we can bring the community together for a great day out in Gosport’s back garden. Keep it local & get involved.

A year of Absolute Running

Can’t dress it up any other way…2015 has been a phenomenal year for our town. The obvious positives are how well the Enterprise Academy at the old Daedalus site is going from strength to strength; new link roads; Aldi brightening up a tired corner of Mumby Road, top class sailing from the Ben Ainslie lot over the water and our very own Alex Thompson ‘road testing his new Boss/Mercedes super yacht in preparation for next year’s round the world challenge.
Local boy Matt Ritchie making his international football debut for Scotland and now being chased by the Premier League’s big boys. Cracking stuff and proof that you don’t need to live in a City to enjoy success.

On a more personal level, we at Absolute Running have been on a roller coaster journey in a year that saw us change the name above the door and in doing so, remove a name that has been known in Gosport since 1937. NOBES SPORTS will always be here we hope. The name still exists beneath our new facade and we hope that we can continue to provide the personal service that the NOBES family were synonymous with for decades.

Running has once again become huge, have you noticed? Whether it was the Olympics, Paralympics or the rise of the parkrun phenomena the simple facts are, more and more folk are having a go. We see runners of all shapes and sizes wherever we go at all times of day and night. It’s brilliant! Kids are getting involved and they actually enjoy it? Why is that? It’s because parents and teachers are getting involved and making it fun again. Every step is applauded and the rewards are huge. Happier, healthier families doing stuff together. This was evident more than ever at this year’s 3rd Gosport Golden Mile when for the first time, weather conditions were frankly awful. Our attempt to be the first town to stage a Wheelchair Golden Mile was thwarted and we almost had to cancel our Golden Mile due to high winds and tides. We didn’t because kids dragged their parents out of bed and turned up in their hundreds to take on The Mile.

School running clubs and cross country teams are seeing a resurgence in popularity like never before and local heroes like Elise Gower are staging their own events on our very own Gosport Golden Mile for charities special to them…and the kids and parents love it. Gosport Borough Council did their bit and painted Start & Finish lines on our promenade so that it’s there all year round for anyone to have a go. They’re doing their bit too.
Can you run The Mile? Why not have a go?

Next year’s official race will be on Sunday 19th June and you can either enter via the shop in Stoke Road or via our new race website http://www.gosportgoldenmile.uk

Every runner gets a medal and a cheer and there are spot prizes too. Elite runners will be trying to beat our course record of 4 minutes and 16 seconds whilst the majority will simply be seeing how quickly they can complete 1 mile. Next year sees the introduction of a Corporate Challenge where teams of 4 from local business will race each other and in doing so raise money for our friends at GAFIRS.

If you’re disabled and fancy a crack at wheelchair racing, we have the Golden 800 metre sprint for you to have a go at. Why not? Go on!

You can also get involved as a sponsor if you prefer and details can be found on the website.

For all of you embarking on your running adventure; you’ll find it addictive and like us, you will make so many new friends. Before long you’ll be having a go at the weekly Lee on the Solent parkrun (Saturday’s 9am on Marine a Parade) or even signing up for our Bayside Summer 5K series which gives you a whole summer to measure your progress over our fast and flat course at Stokes Bay. With a race every month from May to September, it’s a great way to meet your local running clubs who add a splash of colour to proceedings with their proudly worn club vests. Each race starts and ends at Bayside Cabin who kindly help with race sponsorship and look after the dietary and liquid refreshment needs pre and post race. You won’t find a friendlier race anywhere…ever!

This summer also gave local runners an opportunity to meet a lad from Bristol called Ben Smith. As a way of dealing with his own demons, Ben found that running helped and launched an outrageous attempt to run 401 marathons over 401 consecutive days! Crazy right? At the time of going to print, Ben is currently on marathon number 95 and each day is a new World Record. Having met Ben during his marathon around Gosport and Fareham, we firmly believe that he can achieve his goal. You will rarely meet such a charming yet determined man and his chosen charities of Stonewall and Kidscape will see their fight to help prevent bullying greatly enhanced by the end of Ben’s 401st run. You can find out more about this great challenge at http://www.the401challenge.co.uk

If you are thinking about starting running but lack confidence, we started a ‘Family Fun Run’ from our shop in Stoke Road. Now affectionately known as the 545 RunClub, we convene every Wednesday at the shop at…5.45pm and depart for a run of between 3 and 6KM’s (1.5 or 3 miles) at a pace to suit whoever turns up. We’re not here to coach or make you faster. We’re here to prove that running can be fun and we now see upwards of 40 men, women, children and dogs turn up each week. Sometimes we have ‘guests’ join us and often we have interesting refreshments awaiting our return but always, we have a laugh and no-one can be too slow. So, you know where we are. Come and join us.

Finally and proof that running can help bring communities together. We were approached by a lovely lady (Nikki Edwards) who works with vulnerable adults. She wanted her guys and girls to also be able to have a crack at our Gosport Golden Mile but wanted advice. Obviously, such an event would prove challenging for up to 40 vulnerable adults and their carers and marshalling the route key to keeping everyone safe. With only a few days to go and following a Facebook plea, local runners and their friends volunteered their Sunday for people they had never met and we had the green light. Restores faith in mankind that sort of stuff. That event is at 11am on Sunday 6th December starting at GAFIRS. We hope that we may see some of you there.

Thanks for reading and join us on our adventures next year. Believe in your community and get involved. You’ll enjoy being part of something special.

Keep it local. Follow the shoe 👟
Have a fabulous Christmas whatever your faith and a peaceful New Year.

Nick, Harry & Kim
Nick Carter (Director & Founder)
Absolute Running Ltd
contact@absolute-running.co.uk
http://www.absolute-running.co.uk
Shop: 02392 581578
Mob : 07445 203925

Joining Dots

What a fabulous month October was for sport! A superb Rugby Union World Cup…well organised at least and the best weather I can recall for Portsmouth’s Morrison’s Great South Run. Those were the advertised events at least. Did anyone know that the armed forces had their own rugby World Cup? We certainly did not until several very large Fijian chaps came into our shop and cleared us out of rugby boots (the large ones) and accessories. Several visiting nations were in our towns and accommodated at HMS Sultan and HMS Collingwood and how nice would it have been to have given them a proper welcome. We could have done so much for them as a community but definitely a missed opportunity. Games were played at HMS Temeraire and once again, what a great festival of high quality rugby we had on our doorstep but didn’t get to enjoy or support.

In an equally disappointing vein, local school children were apparently invited to take part in a sprint competition on a specially laid, 60 metre running track outside Portsmouth Guildhall. This too would have been a terrific event to be involved in, particularly by the children but only one Gosport school took up the invitation amongst a small handful of Portsmouth schools. What a shame. There were even Team GB Olympic sprinters on hand to meet and encourage the participants. A wonderful opportunity missed. Do we need a person locally who can coordinate these occasions? I think we do, or at least a media officer in each council who can ensure that we get to know of these events. Sport has proved beyond doubt that it can bring communities together and it should be given the breath it needs to do so. So, come on Portsmouth, Gosport and Fareham…your residents need you.

On a positive note: Gosport saw November in with a bang courtesy of Bayside Triathlon Club organising a Duathlon on our own Stokes Bay. Sunday 1st November saw the inaugural Bayside Autumn Duathlon (BAD) which comprised a run followed by a cycle and another run. There were two distances with a shorter run, cycle and run for those who fancied having a go for the first time. The event reached its 150 competitor limit well in advance and proved to be extremely popular. Hosted by Bayside Cabin and sponsored by Absolute Running, Southsea Cyckes and Zoot, the reviews are such that the event will surely return in 2016. There were lots of happy faces and support from surprised members of the public when confronted by 150 cyclists racing along Marine Parade at breakfast time. Hardly a weekend goes by without a sporting event somewhere but locally, we can say that we are doing our bit as a community to get people involved in being active.

So, in conclusion, let’s get those dots joined and keep people informed. Get involved. Follow the shoe..

All aboard the 401

As we go to press, we at Absolute Running are excited about joining a young fella by the name of Ben Smith from Bristol otherwise known as 401 Challenge. Ben’s background and the driver behind his extraordinary challenge is one of solitude and insecurity by not knowing exactly who he was and exascerbated  by him being bullied during his school years.

Fast forward to 2012 and somehow Ben found running as a way of helping him relax and cope with daily stresses and troubles. It could have just as easily been badminton or rugby but running it was and as most runners will testify, once you start running you become part of a community. Such is Ben’s love of running, he came up with an idea to help others who may be experiencing similar tribulations and whilst many would and did criticize his choice of challenge, it is now abundantly clear that he is clearly more than capable of pulling it off due to that community of which every runner is part and he has captured the support of many celebrities along the way including Stephen a Fry. So here it is …401 marathons in 401 consecutive days! Those that have completed a Marathon will understand how demanding a single event can be so to try and comprehend 401 consecutively becomes mind boggling. To help Ben on his journey, friends, family and the running community have been amazingly supportive by offering accomodation, massages, sponsorship and companionship. Ben has at this moment completed 38 successive marathons and has been joined by so many well wishers along the way. Now it’s our turn as Ben looks to set off from Crofton Community Centre at 10am on Friday 9th October, taking in Titchfield, Fareham and Gosport. We will be there at the start to meet this remarkable young man who has brought so many people together through running and wish him well as he looks to reach his fundraising target of £250.00 on behalf of two great anti bullying charities, ‘Stonewall’ and ‘Kidscape’. If ever anyone should find themselves feeling isolated and confused or doubting their place in the world, they should look no further than the 401 Challenge website for inspiration and proof that their are friends out there. Go on, have a look. www.

A summer of sport

 Well, not the summer that we’ve been used to weather wise but a marvelous summer of sport (through the eyes of Absolute Running anyway) this was the second year of our Summer 5K series that takes place on Stokes Bay and is hosted by our friends at Bayside Cabin. Starting in June, we had a race on the second Tuesday of each month which takes in our beautiful coastline and is preceded by a Junior 1K ‘FunRun’. If you could see their faces you would appreciate why the term Fun Run fits so perfectly. The pleasure on the youngster’s faces makes it for us and the bystanders alike. The friendly, family feeling spills over into the main event where elite club runners and first timers rub shoulders whilst enjoying the support of the South Coast’s friendliest Marshall’s. Everyone gets a medal and everyone goes home happy we hope. So much so that this year we reached capacity on our last race… Fantastic! Great to see the club Colours of all our local running clubs too.

This summer has also seen us introduce our Wednesday evening 545 RunClub which is a free no frills and informal run each week. We start at Absolute Running at yep…5.45pm and whoever walks through the door comes with us. Your pace is our pace. We’re not racing, but we are here to help you discover and enjoy running. If in doubt, pop in for a chat & coffee.

And finally, on a slightly gloomier note. Has anyone noticed how lazy and selfish we are becoming? Our streets, parks & beaches strewn with litter despite an abundance of bins. We don’t even realize that we’re doing something we shouldn’t. We used to have TV adverts reminding us to ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ but no-one seems to care anymore and we’re looking more Third World than developed world. This is easy and we can and should all do our bit. We live in a great town. Let’s love it a bit more. See you all around and stay safe. If in doubt…start running! 😬👟

Your running community #communityyŷ

This month we thought that we would introduce you to your local running club courtesy of two very experienced runners, Sue Barrett and Keith Elshaw, ladies and men’s captains for Gosport Road Runners.

Founded in 1979 as Gosport Joggers, it became Gosport Road Runners in 1983 and has gone from strength to strength. With a recent uptake in running, has seen membership continue to grow steadily.

We thought that we would put some questions to Sue & Keith. Have a read and you never know, you too may be inspired to have a go.

AR.  Have you always been a runner?

Sue: No. I used to play hockey but having a family I found it difficult to juggle my commitments and running was easier to fit in.

Keith: I played football as a kid although my brother was a runner. I’d chase a ball but found running for running’ sake boring. When I had to stop playing football aged 36 due to a knee injury, I thought, that’s it. I’ll become a couch potato.

AR. What prompted you to join a club?

Sue: I entered a charity Race 4 Life. I couldn’t do 5K and was embarrassed. It was another year before I plucked up the courage to join a club.

Keith: My wife Ange and I moved to the area in 2004 and I used to take our kids to a martial arts class in TItchfield and as it was an hour and a half wait, I started walking to pass the time. This progressed to jogging between lamppost’s and when a friend donated some old trainers, I tried running on a treadmill for 10 minutes at a time. Then I tried outside and set myself small targets with no ambition to be a long distance runner and before I knew it, I was seeing improvement. A friend suggested that I join a running club but I thought I’d be laughed at. I went anyway.

AR. How long have you been with Gosport Road Runners

Sue: 7 years.

Keith: I joined in July 2008.

AR:  You clearly enjoy being a GRR. What are the best bits?

Sue:  That’s easy. Camaraderie, friendships and achievements.

Keith: Not running alone. I enjoy running with others. It’s more enjoyable and time passes so quickly. You get support and advice from other runners and can also pass on the benefit of what I’ve learned since becoming a runner.

AR. As experienced runners, what advice would you give to anyone worried about taking that first step?

Sue: Start slowly. Just get through the door. Don’t compare, share.

Keith: Small steps. Do what you can and next week, do a little bit more.

AR. What is the age range at the club?

Sue & Keith: 18 to 80

AR: Can you see running clubs catering for younger runners?

Sue: This is often discussed and wouldn’t be easy to introduce. It will require a tremendous amount of work and an ongoing commitment from coaches who would have to have the proper qualifications and security checks. I would suggest that other sports are available and we now have a local parkrun which is family friendly and free every Saturday and is a great way of introducing youngsters to running as a sport.

Keith : Yes but infrastructures must first be in place. It won’t be easy to achieve but parkrun is a great way to get kids involved.

AR. To summarise, how does a running club work and how does it benefit the community?

Sue. The club has a committee with the usual roles of Chair person, secretary and treasurer. We also have men and women’s captains and a cross country team captain’s role. Gosport Road Runners have a very popular and well respected Half Marathon in November which has its own race committee and proceeds fr

om the race every year go to local good causes such as charities and sports clubs.

Keith: We are a focal point for local people who want to run. As well as raising money for good causes and charity we also help with parkrun and where possible, support other local races.

Gosport Road Runners have 3 beginner’s course each year and if you think that you might be interested in having a go and making new friends, there is a club website with lots of information and contact details.

www. gosport roadrunners.org.uk

Thanks to Sue and Keith for taking the time to share their thoughts and experiences. Gosport Road Runners meet every Tuesday and Thursday at the home of Gosport & Fareham Rugby who are marvellous hosts and enjoy terrific facilities with a modern and well equipped club house.

For those who live outside of central Gosport, there are also excellent clubs in Fareham Crusaders and Stubbington Green Runners.

If like us at AR you believe that there should be more for the youngsters to get involved in locally, why not bring them along to our next Bayside Summer 5K on Tuesday 11th August? The evening kicks off with a 1K run for those aged 11 and under followed by the 5K at 7.30pm. Our hosts Bayside Cabin remain open for those who may fancy their evening meal or a snack and the premises are fully licensed for grown ups who may wish to enjoy a post race treat.

Runners of any standard can also take advantage of the Absolute Running 545 RunClub which convenes at the shop every Wednesday at …….5.45 and the sessions are tailored to whoever turns up but will be chatty runs of between 3 and 6K or interval training sessions. We often have guest speakers from the various sports manufacturers with opportunities to sample new stock and ask questions.  Details can be found on our business Facebook page ARrunshop or our soon to be ready website absolute-running.co.uk

if you’re still unsure, just pop along to Lee on the Solent every Saturday at 9am and see how many men, women and children tip up for the weekly 5K parkrun. It’s fun and for everyone…..honest.

Follow the shoe. #WeareAR