Students to hand out massages to Coventry Half Marathon runners

Coventry University students will be giving out free massages to runners taking part in the city’s half marathon this weekend.

The team of 21 sports therapy students will be at the event’s Race Village outside Coventry Transport Museum on Sunday – supervised by their experienced tutors.

They will be offering their therapy skills and carrying out massages on runners before and after the gruelling race.

The team will have a tent including portable beds and will be using an assistive device called a ‘Dolphin’ which helps give an effective massage without runners needing to take off their clothes.

They will also be collecting donations for a fund-raising campaign to take a group of students to the World Transplant Games in Malaga, Spain, this summer to provide sports therapy to the British team.

Sports therapy students hone the skills taught during their course at the university’s Sports Therapy Clinic which is open to the public and run by final years under the supervision of trained staff.

Third year students run the clinic four days a week with second year students running  a massage clinic once  a week.

But volunteering at public sports events – such as the Coventry Half Marathon – gives them extra experience and participants a much-needed free massage.

Sports therapy lecturer Sheila Leddington Wright said: 

“It’s a really good opportunity for the students. Runners come in with different issues, they may have cramp in their legs or back problems and the students are able to help. Anything can happen and it teaches the students about dealing with the unexpected.”

Second year student Sophie Lavy said: 

“It will be a great experience. It reinforces what we have been taught.”

Fellow second year Devyani Raghwani added:

“We normally work as groups and this gives us a chance to work as individuals. It helps our professional skills and our communication.”