Boutique Run

A glam girls’ night out and running are two activities I thought could never go hand in hand – but the Boutique Run, held in Battersea Park on a balmy summer’s evening, proved me so very wrong. A post-run high plus pampering and an after-party? Yes please!I arrived at the Boutique Village at 5pm, giving me enough time to soak up the atmosphere before the warm up, led by Pineapple Dance Group on the main stage. Browsing the village, which housed an Elemis spa bus and Champagne bar, gave me enough time to get excited about the evening’s entertainment and post-run massages, manicures and makeovers – there was just the little matter of the 10K run to deal with first!

---

After a few motivational words from presenter and writer Dawn Porter, the pop of a champagne cork signalled the race start and we were off! The course saw hundreds of women run either one lap (5K) or two (10K) around leafy Battersea Park – a flat race with a lovely stretch alongside the River Thames. The London heat wave made it slow going, and I must admit there were points along the route when I wished I was sat on a picnic blanket sipping chilled wine in the shade amidst the onlookers rather than slogging it out in my trainers, but the race marshals kept everyone motivated with their cheers of encouragement and promises of massages and glasses of bubbly at the finish! After making it over the finish line in 58 minutes (a relief, considering the weather!), I got my priorities in order: 1) Massage – a trip to the massage tent saw lovely masseuse Amanda soothe my aching legs; and 2) a chilled glass of Champagne – free for all finishers! Then it was time for a hot shower and a change of clothes for an evening of entertainment, courtesy of Guilty Pleasures, that saw things hot up as the evening cooled down.The Boutique Run really did prove that running can be glamorous – and with all sponsorship raised going to Breakthrough Breast Cancer, it has a heart, too.