It’s here again – our BNW Spring Challenge – and this time we’re heading to Bath for the Bath Beat!
Earlier this year over fifty of us took on the mighty South Wales Three Peaks. We had an absolute blast, not just on the day itself but in the lead up too – upping our walking, increasing our fitness, encouraging each other and comparing notes. Here’s the blog of how it went.
This year we thought we would try a new challenge and the Bath Beat looks very doable and something most of us would enjoy. The event started in 1999 with forty people walking the original 26.5 mile distance. The organisers all worked at the police station, hence the ‘Bath Beat’ name. Since then is has grown steadily and there are now four different distances to choose from: 12.5, 17, 21, and 26.5 miles. The routes are mostly on tracks and footpaths (plus some hills), with checkpoints along the way and a certificate for all finishers. Apparently there’s homemade cakes and sandwiches at some of the checkpoints on the longer routes, giving you an added incentive to reach the next one! All the routes are circular and if you run out of steam part way round there’s a free recovery service to get you back to base.
All in all this looks the most amazing challenge and the perfect way for you to keep motivated this winter and get fit, plus be in safe hands as most of our instructors are taking part. Marcus has valiantly volunteered to man the fort in Bristol and run a couple of walks on the Downs for those who can’t make the event. Don’t worry if you’ve not walked with us for a while – we have Technique Workshops to get you back into it. Plus we will put fitness training programmes together for the different distances so you’ll have something to follow and keep you on track.
Here’s a bit more detail.
The date: Saturday 27th April 2019
The challenge: The Bath Beat, starting and finishing at Ralph Allen School, Claverton Down
The distances: 12.5, 17, 21 or 26.5 miles.
The cost: £20. This includes your entrance fee, finishing certificate and training programme.
What to expect: All the routes are circular and go along footpaths, river valleys, woods and hills along the southerly edge of The Cotswolds. There is very little road walking. There is one checkpoint on the 12.5 mile route and more on the other routes.
How to book: Click here to read more and sign up for whichever distance you want – 12.5, 17, 21 or 26.5 miles – all the options are listed. We will then put together groups of ten max, each with a Bristol/Bath Nordic walking instructor. We will book you onto the event and keep you updated with any news.
Turn it into a sponsored challenge: This could be a great opportunity to raise sponsorship for a charity you support and get your family and friends involved. The Bath Beat will also have an official charity which changes each year – we’ll let you know what that is when we know.
Interested but have questions? Please email Ros or give her a call on 07886885213.
So that’s it. An opportunity to put an extra bounce in your Nordic walking step this winter and kick start 2019 in a fabulously energetic way. It’ll be fun training together plus you’ll feel a huge sense of achievement once you’ve completed this challenge. You can see how much fitter you become and this is a way of proving to yourself just what you are capable of.
Vicky
ps We now have a dedicated website for Bath – www.nordicwalkingbath.co.uk
