Recovery Runners was born out of a conversation in January 2021.
Deano was running a Couch to 5k with Growing Rooms, a residential rehab facility in Leeds, and Jamie was doing the same with Spacious Places, a non-residential day care also in Leeds. It made sense to unite the 2 and come up with a name. So Recovery Runners Community was born.
Deano and Jamie are both recovering alcoholics and know the effects of physical exercise and the link with good mental health.
Initially it was aimed at recovering alcoholics and addicts but it soon became bigger than that. As soon a Facebook page was generated it soon became apparent that there was a larger audience that wanted what we had to offer.
Sure enough in no time at all we had members struggling with eating disorders, gambling addiction, anxiety, PTSD, long Covid, depression, poor mental health. Basically anyone recovering from anything. Early in we knew that a lack of kit or trainers was an obstacle for some so we put the call out for anyone’s surplus.
We were inundated. We kitted people out from head to toe for free. We didn’t want the fact that not having would stop people doing. We still do that today.
In the last 3 years we have grown from a handful of members meeting in small groups during Covid to almost 1200 members. We are stretched across the country and the globe. We put on an Easter and Christmas Event every year where we ask people to bring along Easter Eggs/Christmas presents for the kids and food bank donations for families in the local area who are struggling. We also host a free Birthday BBQ every year on or around 1st August, which is our official Birthday. We are a community rather than a club. We put no pressure in anyone. We run at their pace. A pace where you can chat and make friends. We have run several Couch to 5k programs where we see people come that have never run going into running Marathons.
We are currently running a rolling Couch to 5k, free of charge, to get people up, our, moving and talking. We now have a branch it Aylesbury and run a Wednesday group with the local rehabs and recovery centres. We meet weekly on a Sunday at a local Boxing Club where we have runs, routes and paces to suit everyone.
We’re a family, simple as that. People are attracted to us because we are open, friendly, culturally diverse, all inclusive, never exclusive and welcome absolutely everyone. We look forward to the future and meeting those friends we haven’t met yet.
Dean Smith and Jamie Heselden (Recovery Runners)
