Video report: Paula Radcliffe champions half-term exercise

Former Park House head teams up with runner for new TWO-15 initiative

An Olympian and a retired Newbury headteacher have teamed up to encourage families to get active during half-term.

Derek Peaple, who retired as the head of Park House School last summer, has been working with record-breaking marathon runner Paula Radcliffe to bring the TWO-15 challenge exclusively to Berkshire.

The new initiative aims to get families exercising together for at least two hours and 15 minutes – Paula’s former world record marathon time – throughout next week.

Ms Radcliffe, who won the London Marathon three times, the New York Marathon three times and held the marathon world record for 16 years, will then pay a virtual visit to the primary and secondary schools that get most of their families involved.

Mr Peaple, said: “Paula is both an inspirational athlete and a mum who wants her family to stay active.

“When I saw it, I loved the Families on Track concept and immediately wanted to bring it to Berkshire and to the schools here.

“It is very achievable for families to do and gives people a bit of an incentive when the weather isn’t that good.

“It’s about encouraging families to have fun exercising together.

“Paula and I started to have preliminary talks about her Families on Track project, which she launched in Durham in 2019, but then the pandemic took over and we put it on hold.

“We are now adapting the concept to initially be a virtual challenge, which is a creative and sensible way forward.”
Mr Peaple said he hopes that the debut of TWO-15 will develop into something bigger and more interactive once coronavirus restrictions are eased.

The current initiative is being delivered by the Berkshire Virtual School Games Network, supported by Get Berkshire Active, and coordinated by Mr Peaple, the Berkshire School Games Network chair.

It is also being run in partnership with fellow former athlete Steve Cram and his Events of the North, and hundreds of schools in Berkshire are expected to take part this half-term.

Ms Radcliffe said: “Sharing my passion for running with those I love the most is really important to me and that inspired me to create Families on Track.

“Through this, I want to encourage everyone to get fit and active together, running as a family unit and enjoying the experience.

“We’ve all had to adapt due to the pandemic, but staying active is more vital than ever for good mental and physical health.

“Doing that in a way that works for all ages can be really tough, so I teamed up with Derek and Events of the North to design the TWO-15 school challenge, which makes it easy and fun for families.

“Derek is a brilliant ambassador for sport in Berkshire and we’re really excited about the potential for this initiative in schools throughout the county.”

If you haven’t heard about the TWO-15 project from your child’s school you can find out more details on the website getberkshireactive.org/img-20210128-wa0004

Click on the link above to hear more from Paula Radcliffe and Derek Peaple as they chatted to our reporter Sarah Bosley.