Colombo City Running (CCR), a community-based recreational running group which aims to promote and improve running in Colombo, conducted a programme for its members with none other than London Marathon Medalist and professional runner Lewis Chalk at the CR & FC Grounds recently.

Stafford Garments, one of Sri Lanka’s leading apparel manufacturers were also involved in the programme as they came forward to partner with CCR as the CCR clothing partner by providing the T shirts under their brand RBN.

CCR was formed on 3rd May 2015 by a single athlete, Mr Omar Alif who sought a community with which to share his passion of running. Stemming from this simple desire, he built up a vision that has since been shared by numerous like-minded athletes based in Colombo. The group has now evolved into a team that goes beyond recreational running with most members preparing to participate in competitive marathons and other fitness competitions both in Sri Lanka as well as abroad.

The programme commenced with Lewis Chalk making a presentation on “Preparation for the upcoming Colombo Marathon 2016”.

“We are delighted to be involved with CCR in their endeavors to promote fitness and healthy living, both of which are synonymous with our brand ……..” said MD Stafford Garments, Shakir Hafeez.

RBN is Sri Lanka’s first performance wear brand for men and women, built with the Sri Lankan athlete in mind. The ongoing fitness revolution in Sri Lanka forms an ideal backdrop for RBN to purpose design and engineer a range of performance garments that suit local climate and user conditions and will effectively combine fashion and performance whether for a professional athlete or beginner.

RBN is the result of extensive research and development on local conditions, local athlete insight and a multitude of sporting activities that have now seen a surge in Sri Lanka. A critical step taken by the brand is to conduct a “sizing” research to understand the different body types of men and women in Sri Lanka and how performance apparel can offer style and performance that is better than an imported sport wear brand. The material composition is also carefully engineered to offer comfort and breathability with specific relevance to local climate conditions. Performance factors such as compression have also been looked in to for consumers with demanding performance needs. The product is specifically engineered for Sri Lanka while maintaining world class product development and manufacturing standards and is powered by its own moisture management and anti-bacterial platform “vapetech TM”.

With the vision of promoting and improving running in Colombo, CCR is a community-based not-for-profit organization, with voluntary participation. There is no monetary commitment from members, with participation in CCR being open to the novice, as well as the seasoned athlete.

Every run comprises of a routine of pre-run warm-up and dynamic stretches, and post run cool-down, followed by static stretches. Invariably a post-run detox and hydration session combined with some fellowship will follow a weekend run! “Hydration, as much as proper clothing and equipment is part of a runner’s gear” said a CCR spokesman.

Every run route is mapped via Google-maps as well as documents in terms of photographs and personal timings, regularly updated on CCR’s Facebook page, for access by all members.

CCR also provides its members run training in the form of midweek speed runs, support and advice and a platform for participation in major events such as the LSR Colombo Marathon. Members also benefit by following a training schedule designed by the more experienced runners in the group which focuses on allowing individuals to achieve their personal objectives at their chosen event.

Presently, the majority of the CCR community is preparing for the LSR Colombo Marathon in October 2016 and other international events such as the Penang Marathon in November 2016.

“At present our membership comprises 340+ individuals, of which the vast majority are male and female locals and expatriates living in Colombo. Members all share a passion for running, fitness, healthy-living and the outdoors, are professionals working in a range of fields, and span a range of ages. Due to the growing profile of CCR particularly through social media, CCR has also hosted a number of tourists who have a passion for running and exploring new cities” .

Pictured : Nipuna Yatawara of CCR, Shakir Hafeez – MD Stafford Garments, Irfan Ahmed – Director Operations RBN and Lewis Chalk – London Marathon medalist and professional runner along with other members of CCR