The Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH) recently celebrated its first birthday in fitting style – by organising a 5K fun run.
Over 90 runners of all ages (and fitness levels) laced up their trainers to take in the beautiful surroundings of Regent’s Park. Among them was the ISEH’s Development Director Matt James who said: “It’s great to see people here. This is what the ISEH is all about – moving more and doing exercise like a fun run, whether you’re nine or ninety, can bring real health benefits”.
It’s a year since Lord Coe fired the starting gun to officially open the ISEH. And it’s been an incredibly busy year for the Institute which brings together top sporting, health and academic organisations into a specialist sports medicine ‘hub’. The ISEH is one of three locations of the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine and is a legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
In its first year, there’s been no shortage of sporting superstars at the ISEH. In February, the ISEH hosted the Launch of Register of Personal Development Practitioners in Sport (RPDP) attracting Holly Colvin, Women’s England Cricket International and Ashes Winner, Leon Lloyd, Leicester Tigers and England centre and Katherine Grainger MBE, four-time Olympian and gold medal winner at London 2012. Lizzy Yarnold, fresh from her victory in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games also came along with her newly acquired gold medal. “This has been great for raising awareness of the ISEH. We’ve been working hard to put the ISEH on the map as the place where champions are treated” added Matt and, with partners HCA Hospitals, the ISEH now provides an urgent elite sports service for elite sportsmen and women.
It’s not all about elite sports though, NHS patients are able to access the ISEH’s services and public health is at the top of the agenda: “The legacy element (of the London 2012 Olympic Games) is about getting people moving more and we’re delighted to be involved in a project with Camden Council to evaluate the health benefits of some new play spaces they are introducing this summer in a bid to combat childhood obesity”, added Clinical Director Prof Fares Haddad.
On the research and education fronts, the ISEH is now the venue for the UCL MSc and Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health examinations plus Professors Monty Mythen and Hugh Montgomery have moved to the ISEH to continue their work with the Discovery Lab and Xtreme Everest projects. The ISEH is also now a recognised centre for Arthritis Research UK.
With a possible documentary in the making (watch this space) and ISEH staff making regular media appearances when sport is in the news (such as Dr Courtney Kipps and Bruce Paton appearing on the BBC), it really has been an eventful first year for the ISEH.
“We’ve achieved a lot but to use a running metaphor, it’s a marathon, not a sprint – we have lots more to do to fulfuil our ambtion be the leading institute of sport, exercise and health in the world, providing excellence in elite sports performance, sports injury prevention and management” said Matt.