The 8 week beginners running course took place at the War Memorial Park, following the ‘Couch to 5K’ programme...
There was cause for celebration last month as 90 ladies graduated from a beginner’s women-only running course in Coventry.
Sessions were run in partnership between Sky Blues in the Community’s In It Together project and Leamington Spa based ‘Run Like a Girl’.
The course was hugely popular, with the all places filled in the first few weeks – highlighting the need for female friendly beginners running activities in Coventry.
Run Like a Girl (RLAG) was set up in 2015, to give women the opportunity to get active through running, in a safe and supportive environment – an ethos that aligns perfectly with the In It Together (IIT) project.
Funded by Sport England, IIT is focused on getting women and teenage girls in Coventry active through exercise and sporting activities, removing barriers such as cost, child-care and the fear of being judged.
As well as weekly community based sessions taking place at venues throughout the City, and its school-based programmes, In It Together also looks to create partnerships with other local sports groups.
This allows us to offer women in the City an opportunity to try a variety of new activities. In addition to running, in the past 12 months we have ran taster sessions for a number of sports and other activities.
Hardeep, who was one of the 90 RLAG graduates, said: “I cannot believe I have come from struggling to breathe in the first couple of weeks of the course to being able to run for 25minutes! The course is brilliant and caters for all types of people, I am always talking about it and am proud to a be a part of it.
"The run leaders and volunteers are amazing and made myself and all of the other ladies comfortable and confident about their running abilities. I would never have got this far without this group and it has been a very important help to me to start running.”
The next beginners’ running course is due to start on Monday 8th May. Places are strictly limited and need to be booked in advance.
For more information or to book a place on the course, please contact Sky Blues in the Community Health Manager Kimberley Dougherty via kim.dougherty@ccfc.co.uk or Telephone: 024 7678 6349.
To find out more about Run Like a Girl, please visit: www.runlikeagirl.org.uk