Lovely Thursday evening and great turnout this week at the Emirates. The usual suspects around but also new VI runners and guides including Sarah from GG Greenwich. Her 1st guided run with Kevin who was also new as a VI Runner. She loved it. Veronika, Simon and Steph Ducat were present and gorgeous stuck in their roles as usual.

A wonderfully large turn out at the Achilles Guide Run at Olympic Park Stratford on 16 July 2026. Everything ran very smoothly and all VI Runners were paired up with a sighted guide runner. There were a couple of first timers too. It was warm, but with a nice breeze. At the end of this session, we all become the un-official Cheer Squad for the Josh Kerr Mile event taking place at the same time.

This Thursday, Harvey and Maria joined Achilles for their usual run around Hyde Park. It was a very hot day, so not many runners attended. Only seven brave runners turned up despite the challenging conditions. Initially, Mark was a little worried that there would not be enough guides for all the runners. In the end, some of us had to guide the faster runners, which was quite a challenge for me. Maria ran with Brandon, who was very positive about my endurance. It was not easy to maintain a pace of under 6 minutes per kilometre for a 10 km run in temperatures exceeding 28°C, but I did not let him down. I also ran with Mark and Alinnette, who helped keep a steady pace for the group. It was a very enjoyable and chatty 10 km run, and the time passed quickly thanks to the great company. By the end, even one of the faster runners, Naqi, was envious of our lively group and wanted to join us, although he was a bit too fast for our pace. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and both Maria and Harvey are already looking forward to the next Achilles run.

Welcome to Michelle for your first community mission. Then usual suspects Ramón, Maria and Steph Ducat were here for some great Guide running. Sunny day with a little breeze at Paddington Rec Track

If I'm honest, I was a little bit nervous partaking in my first guided run. I didn't know what to expect. I am a PT and runner so I have plenty of energy and enthusiasm, but have never been a guide runner before. Everyone was so friendly and encouraging. I absolutely loved it

Typical British weather on our weekly guided run at Hyde park. The rain stopped and it was quite a pleasant evening for running. Good turnout once again. Today we were welcomed by loads of squirrels : wanting our snacks? Unfortunately we didnt have any for them but maybe next time.