Frame running is an adapted form of running for people who find it hard to balance or coordinate their legs well enough to run unaided — most commonly people with cerebral palsy. Instead of your own two feet carrying your full weight, a lightweight three-wheeled frame supports you, so you're free to focus on the bit that feels amazing: moving fast, under your own power.
No pedals. No motor. Just you, pushing off the ground with your feet, steering with your hands — running, properly running, maybe for the first time.
A frame running frame looks a bit like a bike with the pedals taken off. It has three wheels for stability — one at the front you steer with a handlebar, and two at the back — plus a saddle to take your weight and a padded body support that holds your chest and hips steady. Your feet stay on the ground the whole time: you push off, just like running, and the frame does the balancing for you.
Because your feet do the work and the frame does the balancing, frame running uses many of the same muscles as regular running — it's a genuine workout, not just a ride. Frames come in a wide range of sizes, from small children's frames up to adult racing frames, and are fitted to each person the way a bike would be.
Frame running was invented in Denmark in 1991 by Paralympian Connie Hansen and Mansoor Siddiqi, who wanted to give people with severe balance and coordination impairments a way to experience real, independent running. It grew from a local idea into an international sport, with an annual development camp and cup in Copenhagen that today brings together athletes from more than a dozen countries.
In the UK, frame running is an official athletics discipline governed by England Athletics and endorsed by World Para Athletics. It's exactly why the frames we're raising money for are Connie Hansen frames — named after the woman who started it all.
Our founder James actually competed at the Frame Running Camp & Cup in Copenhagen — the very event this sport grew up around. It's what convinced him to bring frame running home and start One Step Beyond.
Like running more generally, frame running can be whatever you want it to be. Plenty of people use their frame purely for fitness, fun and getting outdoors with friends. Others train seriously and race — official distances range from short 100m sprints all the way up to 5km, 10km and even marathons.
There's no pressure either way. At One Step Beyond, most of our sessions are about building confidence and having a good time — but if racing is your thing, we'll help you get there too.
"It feels like flying, free from limits and disability."
That's how our founder James describes the first time he tried frame running — and it's the feeling we want every member of One Step Beyond to have. Beyond the fun of it, frame running builds real fitness and strength, and gives people a level of independence and confidence that can be hard to find elsewhere. Just as importantly, it happens alongside other people, on a track, in a team — which is where the friendships come from.
One Step Beyond is Bournemouth's own frame running club, and we'd love for you to give it a go — no experience, and no frame of your own, needed.
