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It started with one question
The Extra Mile Runners Story
Extra Mile Runners - A running group that helps all types of people achieve amazing goals through running
Back in 2006 Bevan had been working in the fitness industry for 7 years. Every day of his life he was in front of people teaching exercise, he absolutely loved it! One thing he identified at this time was when it came to exercise there seemed to be four types of people:
1. Those who never exercised
2. Those who came and went with exercise
3. Those who had a habit but never really created any change
4. Those who seem to thrive with exercise and get amazing results
This discovery lead him to this question:
What is the one thing that enables people to thrive and achieve results with exercise?
Bevan thought that if he could figure this out he could help more people enjoy the benefits of regular exercise. After lot of thinking, talking to other fitness professionals and reading he came up with 3 criteria that people need to thrive and achieve through exercise:
1. They have developed a love for a particular movement
2. They have a challenge that stretches them in the right ways
3. They have a group to work with and guidance along the way
After working this out, Bevan started creating a programme and environment that enabled people to experience this.
Bevan has always been a passionate runner so he knew this could be an area where he could create something special so over the next 18 months he developed a Half Marathon training group - RaceTeam.
The first RaceTeam group had 12 people, it was like his personal experiment to see if this criteria was correct and it turned out that he was onto something - all of these 12 people achieved success in their half marathon but more importantly they had a period where they thrived and developed with their running.
RaceTeam went from strength to strength, from a group of 12 people to now - RaceTeam can have groups of over over 100 people and since the inaugural group, RaceTeam has trained thousands of people to half marathon success.
While Bevan was very proud of Raceteam he realised that they were only helping people who were already winning with exercise - nearly all of the RaceTeam runners were regular exercisers who just needed a goal and the right environment to thrive.
Bevan remembers one day going for a walk with his wife Jo and talking about this, they talked about how they needed to create a pathway for growth, where people who were not active at all could start running and create a habit with it so it became part of their lives.
So in 2010, Get up to Five (the beginner 5km running group) began quickly followed by Club10k (the 10km running group).
We wanted to help people who weren't exercising or who had tried but failed in the past start exercising and create the habit - Bevan and Jo Eyles
"This was a massive learning time for us as helping beginners is completely different to helping regular exercises. We quickly learned the key lessons that create success for beginners and since the beginning of both Get up to Five and Club10k, Extra Mile Runners has trained thousands of people to run 5km and 10km.
The lessons we learned about the keys to success are:
1. People need to be able to grow. We understand that everyone who joins Extra Mile Runners is looking to grow in some way. We see it as our job to guide and support this growth.
2. They need it to be an enjoyable/fun experience. People are more encouraged to turn up to exercise when they know they are going to have a good time. It's our job to help your exercise experience be this.
3. They need a community to a part of. When we belong to a community there's a magic that happens with exercise. There's the training benefits with things like motivation and accountability but more importantly there are the friends and genuine human connections that come with positive shared experiences.
While we are proud of the work that we have done in helping all levels of exercisers achieve big goals one of the biggest things we are proud of is how the people who join Extra Mile Runners seem to subconsciously understand that we are there to support each others growth, that it's a place where we have fun and that we are a community that helps each other achieve and be healthier people together.
We have a lot of different ways to help you achieve your running goals; Memberships, Group Programmes, Drop In Sessions and Training Plans, and the thing we want you to know is that by joining Extra Mile Runners not only will you be making the best choice for your running journey you'll be becoming a part of a community that believes everyone can be successful with exercise, that health is more that just how we move and what we eat, and that it's all of our job to create a better day for each other.
So have a look around our website. We hope you'll become an Extra Mile Runner soon"
- Bevan and Jo Eyles
Join Extra Mile Runners Now
We have options for everyone, make sure you spend some time on the site to learn how we can help you achieve your running goals
'Just DO it. The group is fantastic. Everyone is so supportive. No matter what stage you are at, the coaches will help you to improve and you'll meet some lovely people.' - Anne Curry
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