Hambleton Athletics and Running Club has celebrating the achievements of a new cohort of couch to 5k participants.
Their graduation run was held at Fountains Abbey parkrun.
This was the culmination of ten weeks of commitment to the programme, with participants running three times a week under the guidance of the club’s qualified coaching team and with the support of the wider club community.
Claire Harris signed up to the programme because, being a mum of two young children and approaching 40, she wanted to do something for herself.
After the graduation run, she said: “I’ve really enjoyed the last ten weeks.
“I’ve gone from a complete non-runner, struggling to complete the first 60 seconds, to being able to complete a full 5k. And the parkrun today was a great way to finish it.
“But what I’ve loved best is being part of such a supportive and friendly group who have encouraged me the whole way. I can’t thank everyone enough! I joined up as I wanted to build my self-confidence.
“I liked the idea of the structured programme and the clear end goal, which I felt I needed.
“I’m also new to the area so I loved the idea of the social side of joining the Hambleton Athletics and Running Club instead of a gym. It really is the best thing I’ve done for myself in a long time.”
Head coach, Chris Lees, said: “The couch to 5k is my favourite programme – seeing people discover the joy of running is just fantastic.
“Thank you to everyone at HARC for making the graduation a morning to remember and, of course, huge congratulations to all the new graduates.”
If you would like to join the club’s next programme, click here to register your interest.
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