Hot on the heels of the Bermuda Marathon Weekend, a new running programme is being launched at Beyond Fitness Bermuda.

It is aimed at beginners who are inspired to improve their fitness and run in a 5K event in April.

Since opening just over two years ago, the Beyond Fitness gym in Par-la-Ville Road has distinguished itself in the personal fitness arena with its variety of classes and trainer-led workouts.

The new 12-week programme fits in with that style of training, and is called ‘Ready. Set. Run!’

It is led by coaches Christine Dailey and Robin Holder, who have road running experience over distances ranging from 5K to the marathon.

“Our focus at Beyond Fitness Bermuda is on solid coaching so we built this programme around that as well as the preparation required to easy your body into a running programme,” said Ms Dailey.

“Thus, the ‘ready’ element of Ready. Set. Run! It’s unique to other running training programmes in that we’ve also added a recovery and nutrition element to it — a well rounded programme.

“We also just want people to have fun with their workouts and fitness in general. We have seen how much fun group training can be in our classes so thought it would be perfect to apply to running as well.”

She said at this time of year people were generally showing a heightened level of interest in getting in shape.

“Everyone is making resolutions, trying to work out more and running plays a huge role in that.

“There are a lot people who would love to make running part of their routine but might not know where to start — how far to go or how fast. Bermuda has such a fun running community and so many great races this time of year it’s perfect timing to get involved.”

A certified personal trainer and a group class instructor, Ms Dailey is also the gym and marketing manager for Beyond Fitness Bermuda, and as an athlete she has run two marathons, 15 half-marathons and many shorter races.

Mr Holder has been running since the 1990s and among the races he has competed in are seven marathons and the Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby ten times. Both coaches are members of the Mid Atlantic Athletic Club.

This is the first 5K programme offered by the gym, although its ‘Beyond the Finish’ schedule last year focused on getting individuals to a level where they could compete in the May 24 half-marathon.

“It was really successful and we had many people asking for something for the 5K and 10K distances so we wanted to bring more running programmes to life and get more people involved in the running community of Bermuda,” said Ms Dailey.

“We wanted to start the year off with a 5K training programme and then gear up again for our May 24 session.”

The ‘Ready. Set. Run!’ programme is based out of the Beyond Fitness gym, and participants do not need to be a gym member. There is a two-week preparation training programme, followed by ten weeks of running, which feature three running sessions each week and one weekly recovery and nutrition session.

Also included in with the training programme is a Beyond Fitness team T-shirt and entry fee into the target event, the Ludwig Cann 5K on April 9. The 12-week programme costs $395 per person.

The ‘Ready. Set. Run!’ programme starts on January 23. For more information and to sign up, e-mail info@beyondfitbda.com