The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a crucial period and often challenging period. Students, who have just left behind the carefree days of high school, embark on a journey to acquire knowledge and lay the foundation for their future careers. The focus is largely on studying and obtaining grades. The main focus shifts towards academic success and obtaining good grades, often at the expense of physical activity and sports.
Many people do not become aware of the importance of regular exercise for health and well-being until their 40s.However, by that time, health issues may have already developed, and an individual’s lifestyle habits are well established. Positive experiences with sports and physical activity during childhood, youth, and university years can significantly contribute to sustaining an active lifestyle in later years.
Therefore, students need to be encouraged to move, and run, which is a core activity of the Runners4All project. This is of exceptional importance. Running is one of the basic sports activities – it is very accessible, and the exercise can be done independently or in groups.
With the European Student Run event, we want to encourage students to participate in enjoyable, large-scale event with cross-border dimensions. Above all, we want to encourage them to motivate other young people to exercise regularly through educational workshops, joint training and encouragement through selected student mentors. This approach ensures that participants are well-prepared and can safely compete in 10 km races, half marathons, and full marathons.
The idea of the project is not only to involve student runners, but to contribute to the inclusion of different groups of the population in running. Why running? Running is one of the most fundamental forms of human activity; it is a basic form of sport and a fundamental aspect of athletics. Besides walking, running is the closest and most easily accessible form of movement, which is why it dominates various forms of sports activities, from top to recreational sports. Endurance running, if not excessive, is an excellent means of strengthening vital life functions, such as the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. To prevent injuries, runners regularly prepare for competitions and dedicate many hours to training. The concept of the Runners4All project is that runners can be charitable and socially responsible during their preparation for a competition by actively helping individuals and groups who need such help or encouragement in their training.
The project does not only address students, but also targets the following groups in the long term:
- inactive individuals who find it difficult to motivate themselves to exercise and need encouragement
- recreational athletes who may not recognize opportunities for running exercise in their environment (either because of their lifestyle - long working hours, or because of the environment in which they live - exercising in the city, in the countryside or in an environment where group exercise is necessary for safety reasons, etc.)
- people with physical disabilities and people with special needs who require assistance and adapted training methods
- families, where tailored programs can be designed for individuals with different levels of physical ability.
The project supports the common values of cooperation and solidarity. It promotes lifelong learning, the establishment of trust and respect for those who are different. Above all, it encourages regular physical activity.
