Goodgym and the Achilles International UK chapter (visually impaired running group) met at Battersea Power Station Tube on Thursday evening, ready for a glorious evening of social group running. Together, we made our way to the bandstand in the centre of Battersea Park, and paired up for an hour of intervals, chatty runs, tempo sessions and practice for future Runthrough events. We were also joined by 5 adorable working dogs (4 guide dogs and 1 service dog), who were taken on walks around the park or given lots of scruffs by our bag drop volunteers! Well done everyone!

Next week, we will be training at Emirates Stadium, meeting at Arsenal tube station (Thursday 1st August, 6pm):

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/come-and-guide-run-with-achilles-international-emirates-stadium-106d8484-2ef2-4a3e-9b1c-13684aa1c4e3

Our Goodgym team were thrilled to be invited back to Metro Blind Sports, along with a lot of our friends at our Achilles International weekly group runs. Metro Blind Sports is the UK's only athletics event hosted primarily for visually impaired athletes, a very important fixture to the sporting calender.

Events on offer included classic track distances (100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m and open relay), alongside high jump, long jump, shot put, javelin and discus. An incredible opportunity to witness inspiring performances from athletes traveling from far and wide to compete (experienced veterans and first timers welcomed and encouraged).

Our Goodgym crew were on hand to help with registration for athletes, coordination for events, support for competitors and judges and even guiding the runners, jumpers and throwers! Our Achilles International friends came away with an abundance of medals, PBs and big smiles- great job on a hot summer's day, guys!

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Achilles International Weekly Sessions

If you feel inspired by Metro Blind Sports, you can join Goodgym for weekly group runs with Achilles International every Thursday:

Here is a list of our upcoming events and sign up pages. Runners, supporters and guides of all abilities and experiences welcome!

Thursday 4th July- Stratford Olympic Park

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/come-and-guide-run-with-achilles-international-olympic-park-stratford-route-d9691e05-e2b6-4232-89a4-c1f8da26a672

Thursday 11th July- Green Park

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/come-and-guide-run-with-achilles-international-green-park-summer-session-ab3bf2f2-5408-42de-8afc-95ffbe5cea61

Thursday 18th July- Paddington Rec Track

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/come-and-guide-run-with-achilles-international-paddington-rec-track-7e911e01-1682-4d57-9fbe-fc5eb786ba0e

Thursday 25th July- Battersea Park

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/achilles-international-vi-guide-running-battersea-park-8415b4f1-220e-4ae8-bc80-1e54c58b6971

Thursday 1st August- Arsenal Emirates Stadium

https://www.goodgym.org/happenings/come-and-guide-run-with-achilles-international-emirates-stadium-106d8484-2ef2-4a3e-9b1c-13684aa1c4e3

The fence is wet so if you’ll get a stained bum, if you do!

I had a lovely morning at bow community centre staining the wood in the sunshine. Would 100% recommend. Sorry I forgot to take photos!

What's ten-and-a-half-tonnes between friends?

(Turns out it wasn’t actually nine tonnes to be shifted but nineteen-and-a-half. Love a challenge).

Moving mountains

So we met outside the Hub where Joelle gave us a brief history of the park, and some interesting key stats.

We then made our way over to the children’s playground for our Task briefing:

• Shovel sand into wheelbarrows by the Changing rooms.

• Navigate the 5-min walk/wheel back to Playground, depositing sand on areas where it’s most needed (edge of swings; bottom of slides).

• Rake and distribute sand evenly.

• Return wheelbarrows to sand pile for refilling.

• Repeat.

• Repeat.

• Repeat.

• Repeat.

• Repeat.

… You get the picture.

The team were something else. They didn’t stop: they were like machines. I don’t know how (I consider myself fit but I caved in after one trip, such was the forearm fatigue).

After 90 minutes of hard graft we called time (“Send the last barrow out at 8:30”) before returning tools to shed, enjoying a quick stretch and bidding farewell to Joelle and Richard. Until next time 🤞.

Well done everyone - it was fast, it was furious, and as always, it was phenomenally good fun.

A huge huge warm welcome and shout-out to Iain whose first GoodGym event it was and who was unstoppable (literally). We watched, we marvelled… We wondered how. Thanks for a brilliant contribution and we really hope to see you soon.