There are few things I enjoy more than breaking a sweat with friends on a Saturday morning. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that after just four weekend trips to London, I would find myself enjoying a fitness event with some lovely ladies who I already consider to be friends.
Thanks to Twitter, a few of us realized that the Gloanna Yoga Run was taking place on a weekend which I was in London. A few tweets quickly went back and forth and before we knew it four of us (Charlie, Leah, Kiera, and I) signed up for the event, deciding that it would make a perfect morning and opportunity to get to know each other. Before Saturday, I had met Charlie in person during our lovely run last month, but only knew the other two ladies via more than 6 months of Twitter conversations.
The Gloana Yoga Run is a new event which was recently started in London. It brings together a 5k run, yoga, bubbly, and brunch. The organizers realized that these are multiple things ladies tend to enjoy on their weekends. Why not bring then together in a beautiful park setting and call it a Gloanna Yoga Run? Based on my experience and their marketing behind the event, I think they are definitely on to something and that the event will do wonderfully in just about any city!
Hosted in the beautiful Battersea Park on an unfortunately dreary morning, there were multiple start times in order to manage the crowds for the run and yoga. Each start time had around 50-75 people which made everything very pleasant. Due to other Saturday plans, our group opted for the first start time, 9am, which worked very well to our advantage. 
There was no advance packet pickup so as soon as we arrived we found our way to the que in order to pick up t-shirts, bibs and wrist bands required for the brunch and yoga. The que was quite long, taking around 30 minuntes. I didn’t mind too much but for those who were in later start times, they found themselves standing in the rain for up to an hour! While this wasn’t ideal, I really respect the fact that the organizers have emailed everyone apologizing after the event and vowed to correct moving forward. 
The bibs which featured our names definitely came in handy since we were getting to know each other. How adorable is the bright pink and the little glo addition?
Promptly at 9am the first wave was lead through some quick stretches and a warmup before beginning the run. On our way through the start we were encouraged to stop for a prosecco shot to kick off the fun.
The 5k was a fun run which we all found to be quite refreshing. We enjoyed the two loop route, never once looking or questing our pace but instead talking and taking in the surroundings. The entire time there were volunteers along the route giving us high fives and cheering.
When we returned to the starting area we were divided into two groups based on yoga ability – beginner and advanced. I convinced the girls to go towards the advanced tent, promising them that we could sit towards the edge in case they wanted to take it slower. I was thrilled with our decision and found the 45 minute class to be very challenging yet perfect for my sore body after Friday’s 20 mile run and the evening flight. The instructor was bubbly and described the poses constantly while a volunteer made her way through the group adjusting us deeper into the poses.
While my form isn’t perfect I was amazed to find that I was able to hold crow pose for longer than usual as I haven’t been practicing regularly. This class definitely inspired me to research local Geneva yoga studios and our office yoga! I miss yoga so much!
After our yoga session we headed out into the drizzling rain to enjoy the brunch and bubbly portion. There was a group of tents set up for participants to wander through enjoying massages, unlimited prosecco, chair massages, Vita Coco samples, Bounce Ball samples, and finally a sushi and fruit brunch compliments of Whole Foods. While the sushi choice was a bit random it was still a nice gesture and we each welcomed it after our active morning.
Regardless of the weather the Gloanna Yoga Run was truly a perfect way to spend the morning with new friends. Hopefully I can help the organizers bring the event to the United States as I am sure it would thrive there!
What are your thoughts? Would you pay $50 for an event like this? If not, what would your price point be?
I think this is a great idea and I probably would. I know Luke’s Locker does a free event call YoRUNga, but you only do yoga and the run. I haven’t been yet, but I keep meaning to go.
I hope it comes to the US! I’d love to do this. I’ve done a Living Social event that was yoga and wine tasting, but the addition of running and food would be really worth it!
any race that starts with a shot of prosecco, includes yoga, and ends with more bubbly is a-ok in my books. this needs to come to the states! what a great find 🙂
Did you mean “queue” (instead of “que”)?
I wouldn’t pay $50 for it, I go to the free yoga class at lululemon on a sunday, run 3 miles on my own and then get a bagel. Total cost: about $2.75.
I would definitely pay $50 for this! Especially if there were sponsors to give away samples and such. This would be very fun, maybe a better combo would be a 10k distance