After completing Leeds Rhinos Foundation’s health management programme back in April, Try Club’s first graduates have been inspired to run the Asda Foundation Leeds 10k on July 10 on behalf of the charity who they credit with helping them successfully improve their fitness.
Try Club was launched this year for men aged over 18, with a Body Mass Index of over 25, who were looking to transform their health. After their 12 week course, which combined class room and practical sessions the group of 11 men recorded a loss of over 120lbs.
At the end of the course the men were motivated to continue their new healthy lifestyle and set up a Touch Rugby side that play once a week and such has been the transformation they have now set themselves a new challenge and will be putting on their running shoes to race in the Asda Foundation Leeds 10k as part of the Run with the Rhinos team, that raises money for Leeds Rhinos Foundation and Jane's Appeal.
We caught up with the group at their Tuesday Touch Rugby session to find out why they have decided to sign up to Run with the Rhinos.
What has inspired you to sign up to do the Asda Foundation Leeds 10k?
After attending Try Club we have all been motivated to stay active. It has been great to continue to meet up with the same group through Touch Rugby and we have really seen big improvements in our fitness. We decided that doing a 10k would be the next challenge we would set ourselves and we are all doing our own training to prepare for the race.
Why has Try Club worked for you?
The way the programme has been designed, with the combination of classroom learning along with physical activity sessions has been terrific and really appealed to us. For some looking at the nutrition aspect has been so useful and has taught us many things that really has improved our diets and seen results.
The physical sessions have been great too and have shown us that we can exercise and even enjoy it! Some of us have tried various diets and groups that have not worked, but we think Try Club is so successful because it addresses all aspects of health management and encourages you to change your diet and get active. Stephen Turrell, who runs the classes has been fantastic, he is very knowledgeable and we have learned a great deal for him and we are grateful for all he has done.
What have been your preparations for the 10k?
Some of us have joined gyms, others have used the 'Coach to 10k' app which is a great way of tracking progress. Bill has joined Leeds City Council's Active Life and has been working on strengthening his legs ahead of the race. He also completed his first Park Run 5k recently in 35 minutes, finishing third in his age group.
Does it help doing the race together?
It has certainly helped to keep us motivated. We have a What's App group and we keep each other updated on our training progress and offer encouragement. We all started the health management programme together so it is great for us to have the opportunity to show how far we have come by completing our first 10k together. When we play Touch Rugby it can be quite competitive so we reckon the race will be the same! We are looking forward to it and are proud of the progress we have made.
What do you say to people who say they can't do a 10k?
Four months ago if you had said to the majority of us that we would be training to do a 10k we would have probably laughed, however it is amazing how far we have come and now we are confident we will be able to do it. Each week we could see how our fitness had improved – whether that was a quicker time on the beep tests or just how fast we were recovering.
Before starting Try Club many of us had not done any exercise for many years and we also have members who suffer from asthma but through the programme we have learnt so much and our approach to healthy eating and exercise has completely transformed for the better. We all know it can be hard to make that first move to change your fitness regime, but we can vouch that it's worth it and if we can do a 10k then anyone can!
Why have you decided to run for Leeds Rhinos Foundation and Jane's Appeal?
We wanted to be able to give something back to the charity as they have really helped change our lives. The free Try Club classes that Stephen Turrell runs have been fantastic and we have learned so much and we wanted to do something to show our appreciation.
We have been amazed by the support we have received, as well as sponsorship from our friends and family, people who have watched and read about what we have achieved have also made donations so we are really grateful for their generosity. It is also great that the money from Run with the Rhinos is also split with Jane's Appeal, which does amazing work for Cancer charities which is something that is personally close to our hearts.
If you would like to donate to any of the Try Club runners visit their Just Giving pages.
If you are interested in joining the groups Touch Rugby team visit ….
For more information on Try Club visit http://www.leedsrhinosfoundation.org/health/28225.php or to join the Run the Rhinos team email: Jessica.bowman@leedsrhinosfoundation.org