RUN INTO A HEALTHIER WORKPLACE
Workplace running programs can provide a range of benefits for both employers and the workforce. Running can improve employees’ psychological and physical wellbeing,reducing absenteeism by helping protect against a wide range of serious illnesses such as cancer and heart disease as well as helping with weight loss and musculoskeletal conditions. Running can help reduce anxiety and relieve mild depression, as well as improve sleep and help in coping with stress.
Running groups also allow employees to socialise or discuss work together in a relaxed environment away from the usual working environment. Workplace running programs can therefore help to build a happier, healthier and more productive workforce. England Athletics provides a range of flexible and inclusive beginner-friendly opportunities in recreational running or athletics that anyone can have a go at.
SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE
Before setting up a workplace running program, get in touch with your local Run England team member who will be able to offer you support, case studies, and details of any possible funding opportunities at
WORKPLACE RUNNING GROUPS
The official England Athletics recreational running project!
How to set up a Workplace Running Group:
STEP 1:Identify a potential Group Leader(s) who has a passion to help and encourage others to get running – remember, you don’t need speed to lead! This can be an existing employee or an employee at a neighbouring business if you are setting up a joint Group at a business park for example
STEP 2:To lead a registered running group, Leaders must have a valid and current UKA recognised licence. For most new Group Leaders this means taking the Leadership in Running Fitness qualification and then completing a DBS check to receive a licence. Click here to find a Leadership in Running Fitness course near you
STEP 3:Register your Group by supplying the details online. Click here to register your Group (please do not do this until you have received your licence). You can then enjoy the benefits of being a registered Group and Leader including support, useful information and resources on the Group Leader Area of the Run England website. After we have checked your licence is valid and current we will then register your group and its details on our Group Finder map
STEP 4:Promote your Group through word-of-mouth, social media, intranet, staff newsletters, email circulars and posters, and identify additional Group Leaders if needed (we suggest having an assistant in each Group, and a maximum of 15 members per Group)
About Workplace Running Groups:
Run England Groups are registered running groups led by qualified Group Leaders. Groups provide the support that people need to get into running or jogging – in an inclusive, relaxed, beginner-friendly environment. They can meet anywhere and at any time, such as taking in all or part of the commute to work or starting and finishing from your workplace or nearby facility during a break or after work.
To lead a Registered Group, Group Leaders will need a valid and current UKA-recognised licence. For most new Group Leaders this means taking the one day Leadership in Running Fitness (LiRF) qualification and having an up to date DBS (formerly CRB) check. Once licensed, Leaders can register their groups on the Run England website (must be signed up first). Remember, you don't need speed to lead! Just enthusiasm and a desire to help others is what counts.
Lots of useful information and resources are available in the Group Leader area of the Run England website, where leaders can also update their group details, add members and keep attendance registers. Information, advice and special offers are available for group members with free Run England membership. How groups are run is flexible and entirely up to you, so that you can apply a model that works for you and your organisation. Groups can be led by employees who have been on a LiRF course, local Group Leaders delivering 8-12 week courses, or by working with other local businesses, within a business park for example.
Groups are listed on Run England’s Group Finder map (can be listed as public or private i.e. for employees only) but word-of-mouth, social media, intranet, email circulars, staff newsletters and posters are all effective ways of marketing groups. We recommend a maximum of 15 people per group and that Leaders identify assistants to run at the front or back (who often go on to become qualified Group Leaders too). New groups can be set up at your workplace from scratch or alternatively you can find a nearby Run England group online using the Group Finder.
3-2-1 ROUTES
Marked out walking, jogging or running routes that anyone can have a go at in their own time!
How to set up a 3-2-1 Route:
STEP 1:Decide where you would like your route(s) to go and contact your Local Authority/the landowner to obtain permission to set up the route.
STEP 2:Take a look at the markers available and decide which markers you need, then order them using the order form on the 3-2-1 Route Markers page.Use our 3-2-1 Route Planner sheets to help you plan your route. Click here to download the Route Planner.Run England will then send you your markers in the post.
STEP 3:When your markers arrive, mark out your 3-2-1 route(s) carefully. You will also receive an email from Run England with instructions on how to publicise your route on our 3-2-1 Route Finder map once we have processed your order.
About 3-2-1 Routes
Measured and marked out 3-2-1 Routes provide a meaningful and convenient challenge which helps more people get running in their own time, safe in the knowledge that they will have a measured route to follow.
3-2-1 Routes follow a flexible model and can be devised and set up by local authorities as well as other organisations. The layout, usage and purchase of the markers remain the responsibility of the route provider. Support is available online and from the Run England team.
Routes are 3, 2 and 1 kilometres, miles, or laps (4K and 5K also available). The usual health and safety checks should be followed in laying out open, even-surfaced, easy-to-follow, safe, accurate and well-lit routes at all times – with the permission of whoever owns the land.
The markers are aluminium disks 9cm in diameter and cost £2.40 each. They can be attached to immovable objects such as trees, posts and boards, as agreed with the landowner. Available markers can be viewed and an order form and Route Planner downloaded from the Run England website. Push England markers are available for wheelchair-friendly routes.
When your markers arrive, mark out your route carefully. Run England will then email you with instructions on how to publicise your route on our online Route Finder map.
TAKE THE FIRST STEP!