DiscOLOvery #13: instarunners in London
This week, our discOLOvery will be a little different: instead of writing it ourselves, we asked Lee, an early adopter of Apolo who was keen on taking part in the making of our project, to write his own Discolovery about his beloved city: London. He did great, and we are sure you will love this article!
London is one of the most visited, vibrant, populated, diverse and compelling cities in the world. So with everything that Englands capital has going on, what canvas does this provide for the runners of this mega-city?
This answer; one full of contrast, beauty and opportunity, making it arguably the most fascinating and stimulating place to pull on your trainers around.
It’s a city blessed with an inspiring backdrop of rich history and culture- just imagine; cutting through the beautiful Hyde Park, flying by Buckingham Palace to see the Queen, crossing the Millenium Bridge over the Thames, and finishing with a triumphant lap of honour at the famous Olympic Stadium.
What’s even better is that for one perfect weekend in April the worlds greatest race almost brings the whole city to a complete standstill for the London marathon. Where 50k runners and 500k spectators come together to celebrate the camaraderie, goodwill and endeavour of the running community.
Find out how our favourite Instarunners take on this amazing city…
In 2007, East Londons ‘Run Dem Crew’ were first on the UK scene when it comes to running collectives. Considering itself more than a running club but instead a family, it now has over 500 siblings. RDC is part of ‘Bridge The Gap’, a community of international running crews, with an objective of not just running hard and fast but bringing communities together, sharing creative ideas and helping the next generation of our world.
Famous for their London marathon mile 21 cheer station and inspired by the motto “those that don’t run, must cheer”, a stretch of roadside is tranformed into a carnival of support and positivity! Through a mixture of music, confetti, signs and exuberance, RDC comes together to celebrate the runners and push them through to the end.
Learn more at @RUN.DEM.CREW
Real name Charlie Dark, successful teacher, runner, poet DJ and writer is also the godfather of running crews and at 35 founded the Run Dem Crew, Londons largest running crew. Charlie started running when suffering from depression and like many of others, running became his therapy, changing hhis life and gave him a structure and purpose-lifting the depressive gloom surrounding him.
In captaining his crew, he’s famous for delivering unique and inspiring quotes such as; “I do not run, I push the earth down with my feet and leave my footprints in the concrete behind me”.
His Instagram is a delightful mix of al the things that make him and RDC so uplifiting; running, creativity & passion.
This runners account is a positive and enriching log of someone using their passion for running, to try and make the world a better place.
Mancunian Sorrell, leverages the sport as vehicle for raising the awareness of issues that are personally important to her. As a passionate runner and an uplifting writer, through her Instagram she’s able to draw people into her projects and inspire them to accomplish whatever goals they have in their own lives.
One project, as co-founder of WMN Run, a program aimed at helping women to take-up endurance running, she’s actively trying to elevate and support her fellow superwomen in reaching their own running potential.
And recently Sorrell ran the Sierra Leone Marathon, on behalf of StreetChild, a charity aimed at creating educational opportunities for some of the worlds most vulnerable children. Amidst the African heat & humidity Sorrell was able to harness her strong Instagram following and inspire them to raise over £2000 for such a worthy cause.
But don’t be fooled into thinking Sorrell is just a champion off the track. No, she’s one on it too! The pocket-rocket, a sub 3.30 marathon runner, recently finished as 1st lady in the Hampton Court Half Marathon with a stunning time of 1.22.30.
That’s impressive for someone who refers to themselves as a writer/rambler!
Learn more at @SORRELLWALSH
A scroll through this Instagram will not only give you a running masterclass but also show you how you can look good doing it too- a perfect blend of guts and glamour. It’s a unique insight into the life of an elite athlete.
Juggling a hectic life as a model, personal trainer and coach, in 8 crazy weeks in 2016 this InstaRunning hero; ran an Ultra Marathon on Italys Cinque Terre, ran both the Rome & London marathons and to top it all off, she got married. It’s exhausting to just think about that.
What makes Becs such an accomplished athlete and inspiration to us? It’s her understanding of the method in the madness and being able to practice what she preaches. This determined application and commitment to her craft has led to Becs holding the crown as a Nike Run Club Head Coach, where she leads out hundreds of runners & pacers every week.
And we’ll be keeping a close eye out for her particiaption in the upcoming Speed Project- where 6 elite runners set out to run 340 miles from Santa Monica to Las Vegas, in the pursuit of establishing a relay speed record.
Learn more at @BECSGENTRY
We hope you liked this discOLOvery about London!
Do you also want to help us by writing your own discOLOvery about your city ? We would just LOVE to hear from you, drop a DM at @olo on Instagram or send an email to lisa@apolo.io
