Free Bristol Running Series returns to boost health

In 2021 Bristol Run Series raised £1,829 for NHS Charities Together and the universities mental health support programme Healthy Minds

A running programme with free training plans and an online support community is returning to Bristol.

The University of Bristol set up the Running Series in 2021 to motivate people to get more exercise.

Matt Birch, the university's director of sport, exercise and health, said it has had a positive effect on people's "mental and physical health."

Student Rory Burford said the focus on short term, achievable, running goals really helped them re-set good habits.

Rory, 27, is studying for a PhD at the university and said: "Because I'm on a research degree and studying from home, I found myself working later but less productively and this [running plan] helped change that.

"The exercise book-ends my day and has given a useful structure in my life at a time that was quite uncertain."

Rory said the running series has also helped them regain "good habits and a healthy lifestyle" after tearing their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in 2020

The glaciology student signed up, trained and completed the 5k (3.1 miles) with their partner last year but completed the 10k (6.2 miles) while quarantining alone in a hotel room in Canada.

"I moved the hotel beds and measured out a U-shape course and worked out what I needed to make the laps", they said.

Although Rory ended up with "a lot" of blisters they said it was worth it and noted that the exercise also helped them "feel calmer, and I started to sleep better again too".

Get active

Mr Birch said: "We launched Bristol Run Series last year to give people a bit of impetus to get out and active during the lockdowns."

He hopes to increase on the 1,100 involved last year as more people "see for themselves the benefits being active can have on both mental and physical health".

Rory said for anyone thinking of having a go: "Its really not as difficult as you'd expect, the rewards are enormous... with an incredible online community committed to helping people make their lives better".

Bristol Run Series 2022 kicks off on the 18 March with the first of four virtual events including a 5k (3.1 miles), 10k (6.2 miles), 15k (9.32 miles) and 21.1k, a half marathon (13.1 miles).