Last night GoodGym runners Lucy, Louise,Charlotte, and Rue, with Simon joined Achilles International’s visually impaired runners for a brilliant evening around the Olympic Park.

We kicked off in a circle, introducing ourselves by pace and whether we were VI runners, guides, or shadowers. Simon explained the routes before telling us about his upcoming dawn-to-dusk ultra with Sikhs in the City, where he’ll run as fast and as far as he can in daylight while fundraising for Achilles. Support him if you canhttps://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/simon-fitzmaurice?utm_medium=CF&utm_source=CL A huge cheer for Simon, followed by an equally warm welcome for all the first-time VI runners and guides.

Then we paired up and were off!

I had the pleasure of running with Charles, a fantastic runner and an equally good teacher. He talked me through the instructions that work best for him and how to use the tether effectively.

Running around the Olympic Park is always special, but guiding made me experience it differently. Alongside the Orbit, gardens, canals and tree-lined paths, I suddenly noticed every changing camber, slight undulation, cracked path and change of surface. Things I would normally run over without a second thought became important.

An hour and a half later, we were back at the Aquatics Centre swapping running stories and already thinking about next time.

A brilliant evening of running, learning and connection. Good luck to Simon with the ultra, and a huge thank you to Charles.