Week Ending - 2020/05/10

BADGERS CELEBRATE V.E. DAY ANNIVERSARY IN STYLE

With the country still locked down, Badgers paid their own small tribute to those who sacrificed so much to ensure the last 75 years in Europe have been peaceful times as VE Day arrived on Friday, a Bank Holiday for once having been switched with the usual May Day Monday.

On a glorious day weather wise, the aim was for 75 runners to run 7.5 miles or kilometres in celebration of the moment, whilst adhering to the social distancing guidelines set out by the government. This could be at home on a treadmill, around the garden (space permitting) or out in the open, either alone or with members of their own household.

Members were further encouraged to don red, white and blue colours in keeping with the paraphernalia of the occasion and the target of 75 was eventually met the following day once reports trickled through from a handful of athletes who were late to record their activity. Some chose to run early in the morning, while others had to work meaning they had to fit it around their shift pattern. One or two injured runners opted for a gentle bike ride as they were not comfortable running and did not want to further pressurize the NHS by getting badly hurt doing a fun but ultimately non-essential activity. In summary, the event, promoted through the club’s Facebook page, proved to be a success as some of the photographs show.

Next week sees the start of a series of races, run as individual time trials, set up to replace the usual round of Leicestershire Road Running League events which have been cancelled. The idea has been met with delight amongst the vast majority of members who will now have the opportunity to achieve, or in some cases complete, their club standard times awards which aim to provide much needed motivation them in these testing times. The rules for qualification have been adapted to coincide with the dearth of races and this week will see a 5 mile “race” take place, with runners designing their own routes and submitting their performances individually to help maintain team spirit in an otherwise distanced environment.