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It’s not every day you get to run along the seafront of an award-winning beach, with over 3,500 others, all with varying motivations to take part in the Bournemouth Bay Run.
Whether it’s wanting to get fit or proving to yourself that you can run a half marathon, have a look at the motivations from last year’s Health-on-Line runners, and find out what advice they would give to those thinking about running this year?
“I wasn’t particularly fit back then, nor I am now, but my main motivation was to prove to myself I could do it. Although it was only the 10k I took on, I did not think I was able to finish it.”
“It was my first time doing 10k, so that was really my personal motivation. Also, running for the Dorset Children’s Foundation was a great motivator to finish the race and raise money. My daughter has ASD and we are very aware of all the work this foundation does with children with any type of disability. Raising money for them and that Health-on-Line matched what I raised was something that made me feel proud of myself and my place of work.”
“Mostly because we could eat a large roast dinner, drink lots of wine and sample most of the Sprinkle’s menu afterwards with no guilt. The charity aspect of course and it is nice running with friends.”
Each year our runners run for one of our two charities, raising as much money as they can. In 2019 we raised over £4000 for both Dorset Mind and Dorset Children’s Foundation, read more about last years’ event.
If running isn’t your go-to form of exercise then chances are you’re going to need to have undertaken some form of training prior to the Bournemouth Bay Run race day. How much is of course up to you, and our runners undertook varying levels:
“Last year I was a bit unprepared and only managed to complete a few Park Runs prior to the run. This year I have signed up to the free app Couch to 5K and I have been attending Park Run, which is a free event in Kings Park and Poole Park, every Saturday morning at 9am.”
“The 5k park runs on a Saturday and some runs in the evenings along the seafront, it helps to get used to running against the wind.”
“I didn’t do any training – the run without training was the challenge. Coping mechanism you could call it.”
“I’ve trained consistently through 2019 varying the amount depending on any upcoming events. I’ve continued training lightly through the winter, running once a week. Whilst it has been cold, I’ve been doing more in the gym than on the road to try and build up some muscle stamina with light weight training. I plan to now do more running as the weather gets fairer to increase distance stamina. Probably 3 times a week varying longer running with interval hill sprints.”
Signing up can be daunting if you don’t know what to expect. You might be concerned about getting in the way of the more experienced runners, or thinking that you’re going to be one of the last over the finish line. However, these are common concerns and something our runners thought about too.
“Just do you. Don’t be concerned with being overtaken, only focus on you and why you’re doing it.”
“Just do it!! I have only positive things to say about completing the Bay Run, it’s a fun event and there is lots of support whilst you are running which really motivates you. It’s an opportunity to increase your fitness and support our charities. Win win!”
“You don’t need to be the fastest or an athlete. Have fun and enjoy the day. Even if you can’t do lots of running, at least get out for walks. Time on your feet will benefit you on the day.”
“There are so many people out there who no longer have the opportunity to 1) raise awareness for conditions such as cancer or mental health and 2) to even have the capacity to walk/jog/run an event.
“So take on a challenge, no matter the distance and make a difference to someone’s life, as well as yours just by the pure satisfaction of achieving something new.”
“Don’t do it! Joke. Go for it! Having an event to train for is a fantastic motivator, and getting fit for summer can only be a good thing!”
“Set yourself a target, it’s hard to train without a target to hit. It should really help you focus and stay committed. Start slowly if you haven’t trained before, as you can easily become injured early on. Also, importantly get some good running shoes to support your feet, heels and joints. They can make a big difference.”
Find out more about the Bournemouth Bay Run and even if you’re not running on the day, there’s still plenty going on.
There’s lots to see and do in the Race Village, located at the Pavilion Terrace, or you can join our Super Health-on-Line Man mascot as he cheers on all the runners as they set off along the seafront.
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