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.

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