OneBigFatRun – Share to get EVERYONE Running Please

Julie Creffield is on a mission to get 1,000,000 new women runners by 2020. A great palce to start is 10,000 by the end of this month.

C’mon people. Let’s do it. If you already run send this link ( www.toofattorun.co.uk/one-big-fat-run) to someone who doesn’t.

Press enquiries to: julie AT toofattorun.co.uk

UK’s leading plus-size athlete launches #OneBigFatRun a FREE virtual 5K in a bid to get 1 million FAT women running by 2020

London, 5th July – Plus-size fitness guru, Julie Creffield, this week launched her One Big Fat Run campaign in a bid to get 1 million overweight or inactive women running around the world by 2020.

Julie aims to break down the barriers that fat can’t be fit. A barrier that Julie has experienced firsthand after a GP told her that she was too fat to run the Brighton Marathon in 2013 – even though she had run a marathon just two years previously at a similar weight and had clocked up many miles in training since.

It was at this point that Julie turned her popular blog into an exciting plus-size fitness brand and campaign for overweight women that has inspired, encouraged and motivated thousands of women to take part in running events around the world.

“Two million fewer women than men play sport in the UK, with many citing fear as the primary reason for not taking part” says Julie. “This is sad and wrong and needs to change!”

OneBigFatRun is a unique virtual running event which has been driven by social media and seen more than 5000 participants take part so far, but now Julie is hoping to grow the movement with a target of getting 10,000 women involved at the event this month on Sunday 31^st July.

By proving this concept works Julie hopes to secure funding to create a mobile phone app and the technology needed to reach her target of 1 million women running by 2020.

Julie recently got down to the last 20 businesses in the grow category of Richard Bransons Voom Business competition, beating more than 5000 other UK businesses and she has huge plans for growing her community of likeminded women so that they can all meet, run and train together. With plans to train up Too Fat to Run coaches over the next 12 months the goal is for each city involved across the UK (and possibly outside of the UK eventually) to have a Too Fat To Run coach (or coaches) who support and host actual ‘One Big Fat Run’ events alongside the virtual ones.

Julie says,

“The idea for a fat friendly virtual race come to me when I had been away from the sport due to pregnancy and had lost all confidence to run in a group setting, I wanted something to train for without the pressure of having to attend an actual race, which with a small baby at home just seemed impossible”

“OneBigFatRun encourages participation at whatever level you are at, so walk, jog, run we don’t mind. It is FREE to take part but you can buy a branded medal and tshirt from www.toofattorun.co.uk/shop to support the cause and help us raise the 50K of seed funding we require.”

“Women can take part alone, or with their family or friends, and up and down the country there will be small groups of women from running clubs, community groups, slimming clubs and friendship groups getting together to run as a team. This is an opportunity to show that running has no size, and encourage an attitude of if she can maybe I can too”

Participant Jo 38 from Derbyshire says about the event,

“One Big Fat Run is a great motivation to get out the door and get running. No matter where I am, I can head out and take part knowing I’m one of hundreds of ladies who are united in one goal: to get running regardless of their speed or their size. It unites our community and it’s great to feel part of that”

Participant Jenny, 43 from Cornwall says

“I was attracted as it was ‘only’ 5k, I could run it locally to me but feel like I was taking part in something much bigger, I liked the fact it was women only, and free to enter, no fundraising requires but we could buy a medal if we wished

To sign up and support Julie in her efforts to help the worlds plus size women get fitter, visit www.toofattorun.co.uk/one-big-fat-run