How it all started...

Looney Loops just celebrated its 5th birthday, with over 100 people turning up to help us celebrate — which is pretty remarkable when you consider how it all started.

Rewind five years, and I was training for a marathon after hanging up my rugby boots. I used the track at Banbury Rugby Club for my long runs — it was traffic-free, quiet, and let me switch off, keep a steady pace and just run my loops. It had been my playground as a rugby player, and I loved spending time there.

It crossed my mind that I should share this space with others — and that doing so might help motivate me to keep clocking up the loops too. So I invited a few running friends along, plus my partner Karen, who came up and walked a few loops while I ran. Since then, Karen has gone from walking those first loops to running and completing 5k, 10k and half marathon events — all because she turned up and gave it a go.

Numbers were pretty low to start with, and there wasn't a fixed date — sometimes it was the 2nd Saturday, sometimes the last Saturday of the month. For the past two and a half years, though, the 3rd Saturday has been the date for Looney Loops, so people can pop it in their calendars well in advance and plan around it.

Looney Loops was never about turning walkers into marathon runners. What I'm passionate about is creating an environment where people feel welcome, and can do what they want, how they want — while moving a bit more than they otherwise would, which in turn helps towards a better lifestyle.

What started as a handful of people now attracts 60–80 people a month, and throughout the year we've had a few occasions where over 100 walkers, joggers and runners of all ages and abilities have turned up to join in.

Looking ahead, we've got plans in place to host a running festival with multi-distance events for both adults and children, whether you're walking or running. There'll also be local businesses and individuals hosting stalls around fitness, diet and wellbeing.

Go well, Loopers.
Mark & Karen AKA Mr & Mrs Looney Loops.