“Lace up those trainers” and join #run2workday, Thursday 5 June

Perri Shakes-Drayton, Hannah England (handicap 0.1) and Boris Johnson, Mayor of London are backing the run2work initiative and urging people to "lace up those trainers" and join #RUN2WORKDAY next Thursday.

run2work (www.run2work.com), who want to help 1 million more people get active and running by 2020, has launched #run2workday, Thursday 5 June 2014, to help encourage thousands of people to run to or from work, however regularly, whether part or all the way.  Analysis by run2work shows running to work is far quicker than people think. For example, it takes on average just 15 minutes to run to any Zone 1 station from any of London’s 8 mainline stations via the most direct route, or 27 minutes at a slow jog.

Shakes Drayton, Olympic hurdler and the double European 400m indoor champion, said: “Everyone should run to work.  It’s an easy way to get daily exercise, makes you feel good and will improve your fitness.  Start off gentle and gradually up the tempo and distance.  I love running in London and it gives me a buzz, especially when the weather’s dry or sunny.”

England, who competed for Team GB in the London 2012 Games, said: “I think running to work is a great idea. Starting the day with exercise will leave you energised and motivated for the day ahead, its good for your body, mind and the environment, and your pocket”.  

Boris Johnson added: “I’m very happy to lend my support to any mass endeavour that takes the strain off public transport and is good for Londoners’ health.  So lace up those trainers and get the cash equivalent of a modest tube far at the ready for donation”.

run2work’s free Route Planner for running to work (www.run2work.com) shows how long it will take people to run to any destination at a slow jog, medium or faster pace.  It shows running to work is quicker than people might think.  Having analysed 57,000 routes between London’s train stations, it shows:

• The most common distance to run between any of London’s Zone 1 stations is just 1.7 miles, which would take 11 minutes to run at a faster pace, or 20 minutes at a slow jog.
• The longest run in Zone 1 is 6 miles, between Earls Court and Aldgate East, which would take 40 minutes to run at a faster pace, or 72 minutes at a slow jog. 
• The average distance from any Zone 2 to any Zone 1 station, via the most direct running route, is 4.4 miles, which would take 33 minutes to run, or 53 minutes at a slow jog.

Brian Waring, CMO, Virgin Active, said: “Virgin Active’s aim is to inspire the nation to live happily ever active, and we’re encouraging people to incorporate small things that allow them to be more active into their everyday lives. In fact, the British public already burns more calories than they think on their daily commute. #run2workday takes this to the next level, encouraging people to incorporate an even higher level of exercise into their journey to work. We hope that access to the great facilities in our Clubs will provide that extra incentive.”

To join #run2workday, visitwww.run2work.com/run2work-day.Follow us on Twitter @r2wGroup and join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/run2workgroup

For further enquiries, please contact Gordon Lott at[email protected]or 07775 848 525.