Liam Rowlands is a Year 3 class teacher from Luton, below you can hear about how he got involved in his first endurance challenge!
Tell us about your most meaningful event?
The most meaningful event I have been a part of was the Queen Bee Bike & Hike where myself and 5 colleagues cycled from York to Barton-le-clay in Bedfordshire where we joined over 100 members of our school community as we then walked 10km back to our school in Luton.
It was my first event and it was to raise money for Macmillan. A teacher from the school I worked at sadly passed away in October 2018 after losing her battle with Breast Cancer. She had attended University in York and worked and lived in Luton, hence why we chose those two locations. Out of the 6 cyclists, I was the only one who wasn’t personally connected to the teacher herself, however, her spirit and presence was cherished throughout the school so I was honoured to be a part of the event and it will be something that I will remember for the rest of my life.
What made you choose to take part in an active challenge?
I took part in the event after a brief conversation with one of the teachers organising it. He was walking out of the workplace with his bike and I just made a passing comment about how I miss not having a bike as I enjoyed cycling. From there, he mentioned the idea of taking part in the event and there was no backing out then! It was for a fantastic cause, inspired by a person who had touched so many hearts in the school community – children and staff! It was also a personal challenge for me, to see if I could actually do it!
Did you raise money for a charity and if so what made you choose the charity you did?
We did raise money for a charity – Macmillan. This was because they had supported the family of our colleague throughout her battle with Cancer and it just felt right to raise money for a charity linked to our colleague.
Did you have any fears or worries about the challenge? And if so have you got any advice on how you overcame them?
Actually, I wasn’t very confident with cycling on the road! It was always something that worried me but after a few training rides with some of the other cyclists, I grew in confidence! During training rides, I preferred going uphill to downhill – that changed on the days of the events, give me downhill over a steep climb any day!
In terms of advice of how I overcame them, just practice and belief. A lot of that inspiration and belief came from the people around me; the cyclists. We had a WhatsApp group chat and we would always drop messages about how far we had cycled or how long we had done on the exercise bike just to spur each other on. Having people you know and trust around you is a huge part of it, pushing each other to achieve great things!
How has the event changed your life?
The group of colleagues I completed the event with will always have a special place in my heart, wherever life takes us in terms of different work places etc. There aren’t many days that go by where I don’t think or talk about the event – it is ingrained in your memory and sometimes little things pop into your brain that link back to the event or training for the event. Now I’ll cycle through a town nearby and think ‘Oh, we cycled through here on our final training ride!’
It has also changed my life because I love going out and cycling – although it did take me a while to get back out there again after the event. It has taught me that I can do anything if I put my mind to it and has spurred me on to lose weight again and stay fit and healthy!
What would you say to someone who is toying with the idea of taking on a challenge?
Do it! You will not regret it. There isn’t really much to lose but there are a lot of gains. You will create a bond like no other, stay fit and healthy, do something you maybe never thought you could or would and you will have a lot of fun along the way.
Schools' Active Community Coach 