While many of us look to gyms and workout classes to get active and get in shape, some locals prefer a scenic run around a local park. We spoke with Matt, founder of Run Club Wandsworth, to discover the benefits of a good run and how to get involved.
Tell us about you.
My name is Matt Dowse and I started Run Club, and we do exactly as the title suggests: we meet up every Tuesday and Thursday evening and run. Our sessions are interval based by time or distance and we bring people back together between each interval, that way no one gets left behind, or gets too far ahead.
Runners are encouraged to work as hard as they want, but we don’t want people smashing themselves to bits. Just be consistent, keep turning up, and you’ll see progression.
What inspired you to start Run Club Wandsworth?
I’m a PT and every new year and at the end of the summer holidays I’ve gotten used to seeing people of all abilities making the effort to get back in shape. The simplest way is to get outside and get moving around.
But what happens once the initial motivation and enthusiasm has faded? That progress, that was initially obvious, suddenly halts and it gets harder to get out the front door.
Everyone wants to improve. In running terms that means running further or faster. I want to help people to improve, more than just the self-motivation of ‘I’ll do one more lap’, or ‘I’ll run faster next time’.
Firstly, running with other people will improve your performance.
Secondly, there will always be someone quicker or stronger than you to pull you along.
Run Club provides a supportive environment rather than just give everyone a beast-ing…though that does happen every now and then.
Where do you run?
We run in Wandsworth Park, 7pm on Tuesdays and 6:30pm on Thursdays. Every few months we do a Run to the Pub social 10k, where the incentive is to finish at a local pub. We make sure it’s somewhere different every time.
How do we sign up?
The short answer is just turn up. It’s a drop-in thing, we don’t charge a subscription. I want people to use it as and when they need it, for their own goals.
We have around 10-15 members show up on warm evenings, fewer on colder days, and there are some greyhounds in the group, but there’s also a mixture; park runners, half-marathon runners and full marathon runners, and people that just love to run and don’t want to use a gym.
How does running make you feel?
I love the general satisfaction of doing something healthy for both mind and body. It’s a cleansing thing; getting outside in the fresh air helps to clear the mind of stresses and rigours of the day. The longer I can keep that going, the longer I’ll stay healthy.
What’s your favourite thing about Wandsworth Town?
I’ve lived locally for more than 20 years now, and although it’s very much a part of London, with all the attractions that brings, it also has some fabulous open spaces, which are perfect for a good run!
