7 things that happened to us on the world's first Pokemon Go 5K training run

4 months ago

Pokemon Go has taken the world by storm, it is no exaggeration to say.

While there are still some issues surrounding the game, it has also been praised for fostering a real sense of community, as well as got plenty of people outside and walking who might not normally do so.

The activity side of the game has now been seized upon by Virgin Active, who hosted the first ever Pokemon Go 5K training run this week, giving those who took part the chance to up their fitness while being guided to some of the best PokeStops in London so they can up their Pokemon Go stats as well.

We grabbed our smartphone and running shoes and headed down to take part.

1. Pokemon really is popular

Even when there’s exercise involved, there was a healthy group ready for the run, even complete with Pokemon hats to show their pride.

2. Some were more prepared than others

As well as hats, there were plenty of phone holders, battery packs and power cables – these were serious Pokemon players who didn’t want a hour’s worth of heavy Pokemon Go-ing to completely rob them of battery life.

3. There were actual fitness drills to do

As well as catching Pokemon around central London this was an actual fitness class, with a 5K run broken up by PokeStops. But not only that, a Virgin Active fitness instructor was on-hand to take us through a series of circuits – ranging from squats to press-ups and burpies. It was painful.

Not as painful as that Electrabuzz that escaped seven times, but still painful.

4. The views were great though

As well as being able to level up (we gained enough XP in the hour to jump up two levels), the run also took in some great sights as we ran over the Millennium Bridge and along the South Bank. On a clear summer’s night the exertion was definitely worth it.

5. Even if we all looked slightly mad

After a week or so of random crowds gathering in spots all over the country in order to catch as many Pokemon as possible, particularly when those rare ones appear. But nonetheless, a group of 20 or so quite sweaty people, some of whom were in Pokemon hats, running around the City of London, occasionally stopping to do 30 seconds of press-ups before shouting about the Jigglypuff nearby was always likely to draw a few strange looks.

6. But it’s worth it for the Pokemon

As we’ve already said, the sheer amount of PokeStops we were able to check in at, and Pokemon we gathered were enough to bump up most of those on the run by at least one level, and for the additions we made to our collection.

7. And the community spirit

The most striking part of the whole experience, however, was the spirit that existed between everyone on the run. Whenever a Pokemon was spotted, a cry would go up in the group for everyone to jump in the game and catch it for themselves. There wasn’t competition, this was all about everyone as a group catching the virtual creatures together.

There’s no word on if the experience could become a regular class, but if it did, it would probably be full most weeks.