Helen Russell

World Champion Quadrathlete and Duathlete

 

 
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Helen Russell - News

2021
Autumn
Looking forward
Unfortunately, this year has been another year of race cancellations due to the pandemic. This meant that this season Helen did not race. Planning for 2022 has however already started. In March Helen will take part in the Baggies Bike Challenge and later in the year will be competing in her first ever SUP Triathlon which entails a race covering the three disciplines of stand-up-paddleboarding, cycling and running. Helen wishes to thank all her sponsors and supporters for continuing to support her this year, despite not being able to race. Please check them out here: http://www.hrussell.co.uk/sponsors.html
Baggies Bike Challenge
Helen is excited to be taking part in the 2022 Baggies Bike Challenge, in aid of The West Bromwich Albion Foundation charity. Helen will be riding 178 miles, with a team of amateur cyclists, from Fulham FC‘s Craven Cottage to West Bromwich Albion‘s Hawthorns.

The Albion Foundation runs a number of initiatives in support of the local community, including Alzheimer‘s cafes, food parcel deliveries, educational initiatives in schools to help those that are struggling to achieve, mentoring and improving attainment with children in care or foster homes, opening up opportunities in disability sport, running sports initiatives in anti-social hot-spots and supporting sports development for girls. The Foundation went above and beyond during the pandemic: 110,000 food parcels delivered, 10,500 phone calls made by ex-players to the elderly and over 7,000 educational sessions delivered! The money raised from the bike challenge will go towards funding this amazing work of the charity.

All donations are gratefully received and can be made via: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/wbasarahandhelen
Spring
Pedalling to Promote Women‘s & LGBT History
To mark LGBT History Month, Helen took part in the Pride Out, LGBT History Ride. The virtual ride saw cyclists across the country take to their bikes throughout February, to individually explore and promote their local LGBT History. The event, organised by the Pride Out LGBT cycling group and supported by British Cycling, involved riders cycling to places with historic LGBT significance and sharing the history and photos online. Helen researched and discovered a number of historical LGBT figures who had connections to Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. She then rode to the places connected with the people to raise awareness of the local LGBT history. The following month Helen got back on her bike to mark Women‘s History Month by doing a month of rides in March under the banner of the Women‘s History Ride. Again, Helen rode to and promoted on social media, places connected with local women‘s history, including the former houses of suffragettes, scientists, former royals, the Land Army and (Women‘s Auxiliary Air Force) WAAF.
Get Plogging!
To mark Global Recycling Day on 18 March, Helen hit the streets for some ‘plogging‘ and is urging others to do the same. Plogging is a combination of jogging with picking up litter. The word merges the Swedish verbs plocka upp (pick up) and jogga (jog) to form the word plogging. It started as an organised activity in Sweden in 2016 and has spread across the globe, following increased concern about plastic pollution. As a workout, it provides variation in body movements by adding bending, squatting and stretching to the main action of running, hiking, or walking. Helen has now become a regular litter picker in her local community taking part in group litter picks, litter picking on her stand up paddleboard as well as continuing to do plogging. Helen got her litter picking equipment from her local council run scheme, the Wychavon Adopt a Street Scheme and is urging others to sign up to a scheme, either in Wychavon, or via the council scheme in their part of the country. Wychavon residents can sign up to the Adopt a Street Scheme online via: https://www.wychavon.gov.uk/waste-and-recycling/street-care-and-cleaning/adopt-a-street
Planet Super League
Helen has signed up to represent West Bromwich Albion (WBA) in the Planet Super League competition, which gets football team fans competing to score points in a football themed environmental league. The project aims to help families cut their carbon footprint and live more sustainable lives as they represent their favourite club, by completing easy sustainable challenges to boost their team up the league table. By completing challenges fans score goals for the club they support and at the end of the tournament the club with the most points wins the league and takes the glory! There are 24 football clubs participating and each club plays the other clubs in their group once during the eleven-week season. A match lasts 7 days, to give participants plenty of time to score their eco-goals. The first season of Planet Super League was launched in November 2020, with 11 professional clubs involving 220 families and saw Leicester City take the title. Although the competition started on 27 March, you can sign up for your favourite team here: https://psl.football/
January
Runner up in British Canoeing Awards
Helen was recently recognised in the British Canoeing Virtual Awards, which celebrated the great spirit of the paddling community throughout the challenges of Covid-19. The awards recognised paddlers, clubs, coaches, leaders, volunteers or individuals who gave up their time and went the extra mile during Covid-19, making a significant difference to their community through their contribution.

Helen was one of only three athletes nominated and then shortlisted for an award in the Digital category, which was for the best paddling related digital piece, showcasing how the nominee continued to love and embrace paddling during the summer lockdown. A panel shortlisted Helen for her digital efforts to encourage people to try kayaking and stand up paddle boarding during the pandemic.

The winner was decided by a combination of a fifty percent public vote and fifty percent independent panel and was eight-year-old Olivia Moore, who participated in and helped to promote the World Back Yard Rolling Competition on Facebook. On being shortlisted Helen said, "It was a lovey surprise to be nominated and then shortlisted for this award but to be honest I am delighted that Olivia won, as it is great to see someone so young demonstrating their drive, passion and love for paddling and encouraging other youngsters to get on the water."

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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