The first of this year's Longevity Games, held at Delta Tennis, were a great success.
The first of this year's Longevity Games, held at Delta Tennis, was a great success.
The games are an initiative aimed at promoting fitness among people of all ages and abilities.
Swindon Link caught up with founder Tim Howe.
"We were the template for the NHS, going back to 1945 and 1946 and the Health Hydro," he said.
"Wouldn't it be nice to be the template of longevity and better health? To put Swindon on the map for the right reasons rather than the wrong reasons?"
The Longevity Games takes place at various locations across Swindon, and five are so far scheduled for 2025.
The aim is simple - to benefit the longevity and long-term health of all who take part.
Sessions include running - or walking, depending on ability - and exercises including lunge walks, Burpee jumps and squats, with distance and repetitions varying according to three categories of participant, Novice, Intermediate and Proficient.
Aside from his involvement in the games, Tim is a driving force of the Training in Swindon fitness group, which in five years has grown to have a large Facebook presence, and also runs 6am 'fitness bootcamps' on Tuesday and Thursday mornings in Tadpole Garden Village. The group has raised some £15,000 for local charities.
Tim founded The Longevity Games last January and, backed by wife Lee, their children and a team of volunteers which has grown to be about 40 strong, has seen his brainchild attract the positive attention of councillors, both Swindon MPs, educators, health professionals and the business community.
The initial inspiration for the games came when Tim and some friends trained for a fitness event, only to find that entry was forbidden to those who were not members of an affiliated gym.
Tim resolved at that moment to stage his own fitness event instead.
The games are sponsored by Linde, Librium Games Ltd, Richard James, Cantillon Group and South West Mortgages. Tim welcomes all sponsorship inquiries but no company connected with unhealthy food need apply.
Participation is open to everybody aged 16 and above, irrespective of their level of fitness.
Tim, who credits his background in sales with giving him the patience and determination to get things done, said: "If you're on a journey, starting out and have never done any fitness before, or if you're coming back to fitness, that's initially what this is about.
"It's about encouraging people in a safe and caring environment where you do the exercise to your level and your ability. Hence why, when we created the event, we created it at three different levels to encompass people who are starting on their journey, people who are already doing something and people who really want a big challenge.
"One of the things we did - and I say 'we' because this has developed over time with friends, with experts - was to take a lot of the pressure away. For example, there are no timing chips. It takes you as long as it takes you; it's irrelevant how long it takes you to actually do it.
"You are doing it for your own benefit, your own enjoyment and your own long-term health. The other thing we do is take a lot of the pressure away with regards to the repetitions of the technique and the exercises.
"For example, each of the levels incorporates some sort of running or walking. At novice level, if you can't run, then you walk. It doesn't matter if you can't run. The fact of your being there, the fact that you have turned up on the actual day, is half the battle.
"Then, when you come to do your squats, if you can't get 90-degree squats, it doesn't matter. There's nobody there counting your reps. They're there to support you, but there's nobody counting your reps and there's nobody looking at the depth you're going to. It's about you doing it for yourself.
"That goes for all the exercises. It's exactly the same for lunges, it's exactly the same for Burpees. You adapt them to suit yourself. That's the unique part of this event. It's about doing it for your own level.
"It's your pace, not a race. A lot of other fitness events are very strict and there's nothing there to account for people that are coming through that journey themselves - and that's what we're trying to do."
Participation in each Longevity Games session is priced at £35, which includes a finisher's teeshirt, a branded water bottle and all copies of high-resolution photographs.
Further sessions planned for this year are:
18 May - Swindon Harriers Athletic Track.
20 July - Moredon Sports Hub.
14 September - Swindon Harriers Athletic Track
November - details to be confirmed.
Further information about The Longevity Games can be found at thelongevitygames.co.uk
Your Comments
Be the first to comment on this article
Login or Register to post a comment on this article