Blue skies. Birds chirping. A fresh breeze cutting through the growing humidity. You’d be forgiven for thinking this sounds like a relaxing Sunday morning, bees buzzing in the garden and a fresh cup of coffee brewing in the kitchen.
In reality, HUB heroes Rob, Helen, Dora, Josh, David, Luke, Daniel and Thomas were in the centre of Leeds ready to embark on an ambitious physical challenge. The buzz? Thousands of other eager runners at the starting line of Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All 10K.
After months of training, the moment the HUB team had been preparing for had finally come.
9am, 18th June, 2023.
The sun was beating down, temperatures were rising, and the route was gruelling – could they do it?
6 miles, 700 calories and countless huffs and puffs later, the HUB team crossed the finish line to deafening applause from the supporting crowds!
Endorphins were running high, and the guys were overwhelmed with their achievement.
So, why did our team decide to run 10K for the Jane Tomlinson Appeal? What made it all worth it?
Rob: I’ve been fortunate to be a Trustee of the Jane Tomlinson Appeal and Director of Run for All for many years. I’ve encouraged every agency I’ve been at to enter a team into one of their races, it’s always a great activity for building new relationships across a business and raising money for charity at the same time.
Helen: My motivation was to take this fabulous opportunity to force myself to get my body moving more than it has over the last, quite a few years! As a young teenager I was a runner and ran for a club for quite a few years (although more track running than road running). Having spent the last decade or so focussed on being a parent as well as managing the demands of running HUB, I jumped at the chance to do something on my own, get some fancy new running shoes and hit the pavement.
I was also really pleased that this was an inclusive event that anyone at HUB who felt the urge to get active could participate in. I am a firm believer that being active and participating in sport at any level is hugely beneficial.
Thomas: On the personal: there is a fat guy who kidnapped the thin version of me some time ago and I decided I’d redouble my efforts to chase him down after my wife completed a 5K earlier this year and is looking to do more. On the charitable: my church has been supporting of St. Georges Crypt for decades, so it seemed like a good choice to support and raise money for.
David: I ran the race as a personal challenge, but also to enjoy the camaraderie that comes with a team challenge like this.
Luke: For me it was more of a personal challenge, as the last two years I wasn’t in the best of shape and didn’t like where I was heading. So, when I was asked to participate, I was sceptical at first, but I got sick of feeling sorry for myself all the time, so I plucked up the courage to take on the 10K and get myself into shape. Also, I always feel good when it’s done for a good cause because I know every pound raised makes a big difference in someone else’s life.
Daniel: For me the reasons were quite personal. Having lost family members on both mine and my partner’s side to cancer earlier this year, the chance to do something to raise funds for a cancer charity was a no-brainer.
Josh: Personal reasons really, after a few family members have suffered with cancer back end of last year/earlier this year. I felt it would be a good thing to do, being part of an event raising money for a cancer charity. I also saw it as a good personal challenge for me as I’ve never done a race before and thought it would be a good starting point to get a bit fitter and lose some weight for the wedding next year! Looking forward to continuing it now!
How was their experience on the day?
Thomas: Extremely nervous, confused, and bewildered. Then I remembered I had a 10k run and booked it into town.
Rob: I loved the fact that we had several people running their first 10k, it was great seeing their sense of achievement. The race day itself was excellent with great organisation, wonderful crowd support and of course, a finishers medal!
Helen: The day was excellent and really well organised, there was a fab atmosphere all around the course with loads of spectators cheering everyone along. Everyone that ran from HUB was totally supportive of each other and cheered each other over the line at the end (apart from David who was so fast, we were all still at about 5K when he finished – he then became our main cheerleader!). We had a lot of laughs in the build-up and after the race, and it seemed that we all left the event feeling really proud of finishing with some fab times all round.
Daniel: The energy on the day was so positive, I enjoyed the cheers and encouragement from the spectators, and it was great to get to know people outside of work!
Luke: Bit nervous at first, but the sun came out and pretty much every inch of the course had people cheering, asking for high fives and a cute kid holding a sign saying, ‘tap for power!’. Yes, my legs were in bits, but it felt good crossing that finish line – felt like the power tap kicked in!
David: The weather was perfect, the team were in high spirits, and everyone smashed it. It was a great atmosphere to share with the rest of the team.
Josh: I was excited and the whole atmosphere was really good. As Dan said, the cheers and encouragement from the spectators really helped! I felt a strong team spirit within the HUB runners’ team, everyone gearing each other up ready for the race but especially after the race where we were all congratulating each other, it was a really good team moment.
And now, the big question… would they do it again?
Rob: I’ll certainly be running again this year and there is talk of a HUB team doing the Abbey Dash in October.
Thomas: Yes – definitely up for the Abbey Dash this year.
Helen: I am 100% up for the next event. It has been super fun and although my legs ached for a few days, I’m so pleased I took part.
Daniel: Watch this space!
Luke: 110% yes! There have been talks about doing the Abbey Dash which I would be up for doing. Hopefully beat my time from Leeds 10K!
David: I’ll definitely be doing more 10Ks. Looking forward to the next team challenge!
Josh: I would 100% do another 10K again, whether it is this one or another. I know one has been mentioned for October and I would be well up for it! Looks like I’ve got the bug!
