How was your experience at the Lanzarote International Running Challenge? 

“I went with some people from my running Club, eight of us did the full running challenge, and the other three just did part of it, either the night run or they did the 10k and 5k. It was a big challenge for me, and it was a challenge I set myself last year. I’ve worked on the event for many years with Club La Santa and I always wanted to do it, because I always felt the camaraderie from the various clubs that supported the event was amazing. It was great for me to see from the participant side how well organized it is.”

I think the most important question is, did you have a good birthday?

“An amazing birthday! The celebrations went on for about four weeks, from the week leading up to my birthday, to the time that arrived in Lanzarote.

And when we arrived, well, I must say, the hotel manager was absolutely fantastic. She’d given us one of the best suites. It was so peaceful. It was perfect, absolutely perfect. When we walked through the door, there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers. There was a bottle of champagne, there was a bottle of wine, there was fruit, there was nuts, you name it. It was amazing. It was so, so nice of them to put all these little luxuries out. It meant a lot.”

“It just carried on because we had the Master Swim Camp, which has become like a family now as the participants have been coming since I started the Masters six years ago. It’s just growing and growing.

This year we had 27 moved on to it. Everybody just gels together. We had a lot of fun, there was a lot of laughter, and it was amazing. They even organized a meal in the village for my 70th! It was one of the better camps I’ve ever done. Maybe because I was a star show, it was lovely. I can’t fault the place, because I just admire all the staff there and they respect me as well, so it works hand in glove.”

Do you have a favourite event at Club La Santa?

“My favourite has to be now, the Running Challenge, and I’ll do it again next year because I was glad I finished in the end, but I felt that I should have done a lot more training as the weather was really hot and it was really windy so it drained me a bit. I’ve done Lanzarote IRONMAN, and that was tough. I have also done the 70.3 half IRONMAN out there which again was tough.

We did the old route, which was tough going around, and the cut offs were really, really tight at the time, but both amazing races. I worked on lots of the events, so I’ve also seen it from the both sides, as a participant and as an event organizer. So yes, I would do the Running Challenge, because its achievable, and it’s achievable around what I do.”

Did you have a sporting background before Club La Santa?

“Oh, no, I didn’t come from a sporting family. I always liked to swim and play hockey as did a couple of my sisters. And then my other siblings were into hiking and in local jazz bands. We were all active in our own ways. We were all a lot older so we had to be active, that was our only bit of fun. Then, you know, we didn’t have the internet or anything then, so you went with your friends and you did your adventures.”

How did you discover the resort?

“We’ve been going now for close on 29/30, years. We heard about it from a friend at our club. And in those days, you had to ring up, there was no internet, and we booked through Sports Tours International. Since then we have been using Sports Tours ever since.”

Do you experience a sense of community at Club La Santa?

“It’s nice to be there because you can join any weekly program and it’s fabulous, you feel as though you’re a family out there. It’s just that closeness there, and everybody looks out for each other.

The first year we went, we did everything that was on the weekly program. We arrived on the Thursday and after the week, we were actually shattered. We said, “Next year, we are going to have structure”. We joined one of Robin Brill’s training camps there, he heard that I was a coach and then roped me into helping him on his camps. We still booked our own accommodation and our flight through Sports Tours International. It has continued, and new people will come in, they got used to us being there. And then Club La Santa started their own camps and asked if we would work with them.

My husband and I worked out there from 2009 to 2010. And then we were approached to do some of the swim camps and various other camps. We’ve been doing it ever since.”

Do you have any advice for people who may feel too old to take part in these events?

“I always say, if I can do it, you can do it. You just have to be mentally strong and talk to yourself at times. I hadn’t got my training up to where I would have liked it to be before the Running Challenge, but I knew in my mind that I would finish it.”

What advice do you have for people who are thinking about getting involved?

“I would say, if they want to get involved in the Lanzarote Running Challenge next year and they haven’t started running, you can download the NHS app, and they’ve got the couch to 5k and religiously stick to that program, and then do a 5k parkrun. From there just build slowly from 5k to 10k, master the 10k and then build then up to another kilometre, say, a week. Do a kilometre extra, build up to the 15k and then continue then until they’ve built up to the 21k – but don’t try and do a 21k when you haven’t actually run a mile, have a programme and be consistent. If the weather is bad, try and get on the treadmill. But even 30 minutes to 45 minutes, three times a week, four times a week would be ideal. Just build up that endurance and everything else will take care of itself. Whatever age you are, you can do it as long as you train consistently.”

Which other camps do you have scheduled for this year?

“The next camp is in March. That’s to improve Front crawl, whereas the Masters Swim Camp is four strokes and normally for people that can swim distances. They can’t necessarily do all the strokes but they know how to do, you know, two or maybe three of the strokes adequately. We actually video them, and then I give them all the feedback so they can improve which is absolutely a must tool. Then April, May, June and August. It’s busy, busy, busy.”

If you feel inspired by Rose’s story, you can get involved in the Lanzarote International Running Challenge at Club La Santa! Check out the events calendar for more events and for more information about the training camps we host year-round at the resort!