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.

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.

To celebrate international running day @achillesinternationaluk entered 4 teams of 3 into @runthroughuk relay 5k race. 4 teams of 3 runners plus guides for the runners needing one. Each leg was 5km each. Charlotte guided Janice and Steph Ducat guided Charles on their 5km leg.

The first ever Runthrough Relay event was hosted on Thursday evening in Stratford Olympic Park, and the team from Achilles International were thrilled to participate! Our VI (visually impaired) runners and sighted guides made up 4 teams of 3 runners each, ready to run a baton around 5km of the West Ham Stadium, City Mill River Path and across the Iron Bridge. 134 teams from all across London were lined up ready to run from the Pool Street Market- an incredible atmosphere on the night!

Behind the scenes, volunteer coordinators Simon Fitzmaurice, Chris Blackabee and Mark Durban had spent a few weeks of organising and messaging to make sure that every VI runner had a guide, and that everyone knew where to meet and when to run. It was amazing to see a plan come together, and all of our Achilles International crew were able to cheer and celebrate each others achievements.

Well done to everyone running, guiding, dog minding (Mario and Spike!), coordinating and cheering from the side lines. Thank you for a wonderful evening of running!

It was an absolute joy to return to Green Park for the first time in 2025 with the team from Achilles International. Every week, the members of the London chapter of Achilles (an all abilities accessible sports charity) host a guided group run in various locations across London. Green Park only becomes an option in the Summertime, as the evenings get lighter.

6 VI runners and plenty of volunteers were on hand to run, support, bag watch and to befriend guide dogs (the best task in my opinion). Lots of VI runners training for races, as we approach peak event season- very exciting!

Next session with Achilles International

Next Thursday, we will be running at Stratford Olympic Park, meeting at the Westfield exit of the underground at 6pm.

Sign up here to get involved:

https://www.goodgym.org/v3/sessions/come-and-guide-run-with-achilles-international-olympic-park-stratford-route-d35d794a-d813-4cb4-ba66-13782bb31631