The Gold Challenge: Definitely worth a try

I’ve just got back from the launch of the exciting new event – The Gold Challenge. It is a fantastic new initiative giving everyone the opportunity to try out Olympic and Paralympic sports whilst raising money for charity.

At the launch, I tried three new sports, coached by the Team GB hopefuls. There’s a first time for everything!

Fencing was really fun – totally different from what I thought it would be like as you have to be so quick and agile. Now I feel I know the rules a bit better so when I do watch it at the Olympics I will know what’s going on.

I also tried out canoeing on an indoor machine (like a rowing ergo). Apparently I have a “good reach”.  Maybe it’s the sport for me. The Olympic hopeful Ed McIver had the biggest shoulders ever!

I played table tennis with the  former male and female England number ones. Do love a bit of table tennis. It is so incredibly fast (when the professionals are playing – not me!) and they have to stand really far from the end of the table. We had a good game of Round Robin, which was fun. Who knew that table tennis could be so tiring?

The great thing is that you can make the challenge as hard as you want. So if you want to really push yourself you could do a marathon, triathlon, a 10K open water swim, an endurance cycle race, and a modern pentathlon. Or if you simply wanted to have fun and try out sports you’ve never done like archery, trampolining, show jumping, shooting or handball, you can do that too!

I have been thinking about what new challenge I could do post Royal Parks Half Marathon. I know I want to feel part of the Olympics when it comes to London.  To be involved in the actual sports plus being part of the Olympics legacy by raising money for Save the Children is such a fantastic opportunity.

Anyone for badminton?

Find out more about the Gold Challenge