Latest news with #Parkruns
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Scotsman
Boulies MagVida review: is this £679 standing desk worth the money?
Happy wife, happy life: Gareth's other half loves using a standing desk on her long days in front of a screen This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. We put the high-end Boulies MagVida to the test — and it might be the standing desk to beat, if you've got the budget. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... We're all becoming more aware of the long-term benefits of physical activity. We count our steps, we join Parkruns, and more people than ever have a gym membership. But for people who work in front of a desk, there's always going to be a long period in the day when we're sedentary. But it doesn't have to be like that. My wife works from home, and she has a very involved job, which sees her in endless calls, sitting in front of a screen for long hours, with only brief breaks to pop to the loo or make a sandwich. She knows that's not ideal, I know that's not ideal, and it's something we've been trying to find a way to fix. So we've been researching standing desks. It's possible to buy one for around £100, but I've read some iffy reports about them, and it's obvious you need to buy a decent one. Standing desks encourage movement while you're working, which is great for circulation and motivation | Boulies A company I've been aware of for a while, Boulies, has just launched a high-end standing desk, and they offered to send me one to try out. It's a perfect opportunity, then to see if my wife can learn to live with one, and whether it makes a difference. Unfortunately, my desk is underneath a captain bed, so if I raised it, all my things would be crushed. But Her Ladyship works in our conservatory, and there's lots of room. And that's a good thing, because the Boulies MagVida standing desk is a decent size. It's 140x70cm, and it can rise up to 127cm - more than enough for my 5'2" significant other, and certainly plenty high enough for me at 5'8". The raising and lowering of the desk is done electronically, on a smart panel, which I'll come back to, but all the other elements of the desk, including a drawer, are attached by magnets. It makes it a doddle to assemble and, although it weighs a lot, it's easy enough to move around the house. It comes flat-packed, but it's really easy to assemble The build quality, incidentally, is exquisite. From the solidity of the desktop to the way all the fixtures attach, everything feels premium. And so they should do, because the MagVida costs £679.99. It's a lot of money then, especially when there are half-decent alternatives for less than £300, like the FlexiSpot E7, currently priced at £259.99. The price is perhaps the only thing that stands against the MagVida, because I love everything about it. The magnetic headphone hanger is a neat touch I love the way the cables are tucked away neatly in a hanging harness beneath the desk, I love the fact it's completely silent in operation, and I love the way it's so modular. To the extent that the headphone hanger can swap sides, as can the control panel. That control panel, incidentally, is a pretty standard addition to a premium standing desk, but it works brilliantly. Raise the desk, save the position in one of the three numbered presets, and when you want to stand up, you just push the corresponding number and it raises elegantly into the perfect spot. The control panel is really neat, easy to use, and it can be placed anywhere under the desk When you want to sit down again, you just press the other memory button and it glides back down. There's even a child lock. The drawer is a bit small, but it's good for storing a notepad and a few pens, and I wish there was another colour option other than black or white - but it'll suit most rooms and offices. The drawer is a tad small, but it attaches with a magnet, and can be moved around Fundamentally, if you want the best standing desk on the market, and you can afford it, this is probably it. Yes, it's expensive, but it does feel like the money has been well spent, and there aren't many desks out there that will support a 120kg load. As an added bonus, my wife is no longer in danger of being struck down with deep-vein thrombosis, which is a good thing. Does she like it? Absolutely, yes. Has it lifted her mood and made a difference? 100%, yes. Could she now live without a standing desk? No way. Do try one out, they're brilliant.
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Scotsman
Boulies MagVida review: is this £679 standing desk worth the money?
Happy wife, happy life: Gareth's other half loves using a standing desk on her long days in front of a screen This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. We put the high-end Boulies MagVida to the test — and it might be the standing desk to beat, if you've got the budget. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... We're all becoming more aware of the long-term benefits of physical activity. We count our steps, we join Parkruns, and more people than ever have a gym membership. But for people who work in front of a desk, there's always going to be a long period in the day when we're sedentary. But it doesn't have to be like that. My wife works from home, and she has a very involved job, which sees her in endless calls, sitting in front of a screen for long hours, with only brief breaks to pop to the loo or make a sandwich. She knows that's not ideal, I know that's not ideal, and it's something we've been trying to find a way to fix. So we've been researching standing desks. It's possible to buy one for around £100, but I've read some iffy reports about them, and it's obvious you need to buy a decent one. Standing desks encourage movement while you're working, which is great for circulation and motivation | Boulies A company I've been aware of for a while, Boulies, has just launched a high-end standing desk, and they offered to send me one to try out. It's a perfect opportunity, then to see if my wife can learn to live with one, and whether it makes a difference. Unfortunately, my desk is underneath a captain bed, so if I raised it, all my things would be crushed. But Her Ladyship works in our conservatory, and there's lots of room. And that's a good thing, because the Boulies MagVida standing desk is a decent size. It's 140x70cm, and it can rise up to 127cm - more than enough for my 5'2" significant other, and certainly plenty high enough for me at 5'8". The raising and lowering of the desk is done electronically, on a smart panel, which I'll come back to, but all the other elements of the desk, including a drawer, are attached by magnets. It makes it a doddle to assemble and, although it weighs a lot, it's easy enough to move around the house. It comes flat-packed, but it's really easy to assemble The build quality, incidentally, is exquisite. From the solidity of the desktop to the way all the fixtures attach, everything feels premium. And so they should do, because the MagVida costs £679.99. It's a lot of money then, especially when there are half-decent alternatives for less than £300, like the FlexiSpot E7, currently priced at £259.99. The price is perhaps the only thing that stands against the MagVida, because I love everything about it. The magnetic headphone hanger is a neat touch I love the way the cables are tucked away neatly in a hanging harness beneath the desk, I love the fact it's completely silent in operation, and I love the way it's so modular. To the extent that the headphone hanger can swap sides, as can the control panel. That control panel, incidentally, is a pretty standard addition to a premium standing desk, but it works brilliantly. Raise the desk, save the position in one of the three numbered presets, and when you want to stand up, you just push the corresponding number and it raises elegantly into the perfect spot. The control panel is really neat, easy to use, and it can be placed anywhere under the desk When you want to sit down again, you just press the other memory button and it glides back down. There's even a child lock. The drawer is a bit small, but it's good for storing a notepad and a few pens, and I wish there was another colour option other than black or white - but it'll suit most rooms and offices. The drawer is a tad small, but it attaches with a magnet, and can be moved around Fundamentally, if you want the best standing desk on the market, and you can afford it, this is probably it. Yes, it's expensive, but it does feel like the money has been well spent, and there aren't many desks out there that will support a 120kg load. As an added bonus, my wife is no longer in danger of being struck down with deep-vein thrombosis, which is a good thing.
The Herald Scotland
09-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Unique hill race which began with £1 bet celebrates 50th event
A prominent fixture in the hill running calendar and highly competitive, the event sells out every year and the fastest runners complete the gruelling challenge in little over 30 minutes. But it's the quirky history of the race that makes it truly unique. While standing in the University's Gannochy Sports Bar in 1971, Stirling psychology lecturer Dr Ranald Macdonald laid a £1 bet claiming 'no member of the University could, without mechanical assistance, do the return trip from the Gannochy to Dumyat in less than an hour'. On graduation day 1971, intrepid researcher John Evans won the wager – completing the run over a rocky, rough terrain with three minutes to spare. In 1972, a small group of athletes took part in a run to and from the summit – however, there was no formal mass start nor winner – before Professor Ian Thomson, the University's first Director of Physical Recreation, oversaw the creation of an official event from 1973 onwards. It has run almost every year ever since – becoming a staple in the University's sports calendar on the first or second Wednesday of May. READ MORE: How Scotland's Parkruns set off on the road to success How Scandinavian style outdoor saunas changing the face of swimming in Scotland Scottish racing driver makes pit stop in Stirling for graduation ceremony Dr Macdonald had his £1 returned to him decades later – when, on his retirement in 2007, his colleagues presented him with a framed note in recognition of the part he played in the founding of the race. Cathy Gallagher, Executive Director of Sport at the University of Stirling, said: 'With an intriguing history, and a stunning setting, the Dumyat Hill Race is unique to the University of Stirling, Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence. 'We are delighted to be celebrating the race's 50th edition and it has been great to see yet another sell-out event in 2025. Decades after it was established, the Dumyat Hill Race continues to bring together students, staff, alumni, athletes and the wider community with the core message of health and wellbeing at its heart. We are proud to have reached this milestone – and look forward to another 50 years of success.' This year's race – which doubled as the Scottish Student Sport Hill Running Championship and the Scottish Hill Running Race – took place on the evening of Wednesday, May 7. Men's winner Angus Wright, of the University of Edinburgh, came agonisingly close to beating the course record – missing out by just one second – with a time of 32 minutes, 14 seconds. Fellow University of Edinburgh runner Matt Knowles continues to hold the record after setting a time of 32 minutes, 13 seconds in 2024. Terry Macdonald, widow of lecturer Ranald Macdonald, with the £1 note (Image: Jim Mailer) Speaking after the race, Mr Wright said: 'It was a really nice course, and a lovely evening for it. For a hill, it's quite fast and quite runnable – especially the descent, you can definitely get the legs moving! 'I was a bit behind at the top, but I had a really good downhill section – it was really good fun. I only realised towards the end that I was in a winning position and had a look back, and that might have cost me the course record in the end, which is a shame. But it didn't even occur to me that was a possibility, so I'm not worrying too much. 'It was a good fun course, and I look forward to coming back next year.' In the women's race, first-time hill runner Emily McNicol, of the University of Glasgow, won with a time of 38 minutes, 55 seconds. That record continues to be held by former World Mountain Running champion Dr Angela Mudge, a former student and an honorary graduate of the University of Stirling, with a time of 36 minutes, 36 seconds set in 2007. Ms McNicol said: 'It was great fun – and hard work! I've not ran Dumyat before; it was my first hill race, and I really enjoyed it. There were great views at the top, but it was hard coming downhill. 'Towards the end, people were shouting that I was the first female – so I just kept going. It's quite special to be the winner in the 50th edition of the race.' In addition to competitive runners, the event also attracts students, staff and community members alike. Daniel Færestrand Ellefsen, from Norway, is studying MSc Human Rights and Diplomacy at Stirling and decided to give the race a go. Asked about his running background, the 28-year-old joked: 'There's not actually much to tell! I've been running a little bit – I've always been athletic – and I enjoy the slow-paced tranquillity of running. 'This was a fun little challenge, right here at the University, so I thought I might as well take part.'
BBC News
28-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Parkrun to attract 'alphabeters' in search of letter Q
The organiser of a new Parkrun believes it could attract people from far and wide because of its obscure 5km (3-mile) event at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, is the first in the Harrison said it would appeal to people hoping to complete the "A to Z of Parkruns", because venues beginning with the letter Q are rare."Alphabeters" are enthusiasts who seek to finish Parkruns starting with all 26 letters, for example from Aberdeen to Zielony Jar, Poland. According to Mr Harrison there are only two other "Qs" in 64-year-old running enthusiast, who also volunteers at Parkruns in Lincoln, said he "liked to help others"."If I can make people happy and they enjoy it, that's good enough for me." Global success Mr Harrison said it was "absolutely wonderful" to have a course in Horncastle after spending about five years finding the ideal course features four laps around the school's grass playing fields, with runs every Saturday at 09: started in London in 2004 as a weekly "free-for-all" 5km event. There are now more than 1,200 around the events rely on volunteers, with more than 400,000 helping to organise runs in the of all ages and abilities gather on Saturday mornings, with a start time of 09:00 or 09:30, depending on the to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
10-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Parkrun veteran Hilary Wharam runs final race at 82
A veteran runner has completed her final race after taking part in more than a century of events at her local Parkrun in Leeds - but isn't putting her feet up just Wharam, 82, has more than 200 marathons and 171 Parkruns to her name since she took up the sport aged as Ms Wharam is moving to Scotland to live with her daughter, Saturday was her last time running at Woodhouse Moor, which she has finished 112 Moor Parkrun director Anne Akers described Hilary as "a running machine", adding: "We are going to miss her so much." Ms Wharam was given a standing ovation by volunteers and fellow members of her running club, Horsforth Harriers, as she crossed the finish line on Saturday."It was amazing," she said."I'm so well-known for so many things that I can keep going and take it in my stride.""Everyone knows Hilary because they see her everywhere, she's a running machine," said Anne."Not only does she come and run with us, but she also comes and helps to set up. She's just a stalwart."Ms Wharam plans to continue taking part in Parkrun events in previously spoke of her desire to complete 300 said: "When you live alone, you don't talk to anybody unless you come out and there's cake afterwards. What's not to like?"Twenty-two countries now have at least one Parkrun - a free, weekly timed 5km event."This is what Parkrun is all about," Anne said of Ms Wharam's story."It's about community, it's about friends."Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
