BHF Hyde Park jog - warm up

So the warm-up for the BHF Hyde Park Jog was a strange affair led by Fitness First.

For those not in the know, the warm-up normally consists of 5-10 minutes of organised stretching, bending, and making friends, led by a couple of people from a local gym with a microphone, PA and some loud music. It’s good fun and hopefully reduces the pulled muscles and general aches and pains after the run.

So in Hyde Park on 15 April, a couple of girls from Fitness First got up into the bandstand as the crowd of 2,000 or so people all gathered around, and they launched into a Boxercise class! A few people joined in by following the moves, punching and kicking, but fortunately for the gathered masses, most just did their own stretches and I didn’t see any injuries.

I think that Fitness First missed a great marketing opportunity this year at the Hyde Park Jog. Promoting the local gym and brand in general is easily done with a good warm-up, and then by actively participating in the jog, if possible with a few members and trainers.
I doubt very much that they sold any Boxercise classes, and I’m pretty sure that the girls didn’t take part in the 5 or 10k run themselves (based on their boxing shoes & tape around their hands)

Let’s hope that the BHF invite a more pro-active gym to do the warm-up at the Tower of London on 6 May and Canary Wharf on 3 June.