The Longevity Games on Sunday 18th May is back outdoors on Sunday 18th May! It’s shaping up to be a fantastic day, with nearly triple the number of participants compared to last time the games was on the track. This summer the games is evolving and inspiring people of Swindon, with not only lots of exciting activities and stands such as Roxi Foundation, Brighter Futures, and Community Fostering, along with Warrior Martial Arts & Fitness Academy, FREE Thai and Sports Massages during the day, and fitness and wellbeing tasters from Elevate Aerial Fitness, Ben Bevan Fitness, Swindon Pickleball, Becky’s April Yoga and Buakaw Thai Massage.
There will also be food and refreshments from Lekker Wellness Kitchen, who will be serving up healthy food and snacks, Really Awesome Coffee will be providing you guessed it! Coffee!
With a whole host of activities running alongside The Longevity Games itself, the day promises to be an awesome opportunity to explore what else is out there to support your health, fitness and wellbeing journey.
The Longevity Games which launched last year, now has both Swindon MPs, and numerous councillors from both sides of the political divide are throwing their weight behind this emerging wellness event looking at making Swindon the fittest & healthiest Town in the country.
The Longevity Games founder Tim Howe, inspired by the success of an informal meet-up he started during lockdown, where people started coming along and training alongside one another outdoors, trialled his fitness event idea last year with two events, and now in 2025, there are already five events on the calendar.
The event is open to people who want to start to get fit, or test their fitness, from beginners to athletes with no pressure to compete against anyone other than themselves. ‘Your pace not a race’ is the philosophy.
Tim, a fitness enthusiast whose day job is selling forklift trucks, said: “The life expectancy of people is 81 yet the health expectancy is 63, which means people are living with illness for the last 20 years of their life, which are preventable. I want to build a template here in Swindon to prove that if you bring people together to be more active and more inclusive, you can change a community. I want to make Swindon the fittest and strongest town in the country.”
Last September’s Longevity Games included Swindon North MP Will Stone, while Swindon South MP Heidi Alexander was a guest at the games in February. The next Longevity Games – planned for this month, 18th May at the Swindon Harriers Athletic Track will feature a number of Swindon councillors, including Swindon Borough Council Leader Cllr Jim Robbins taking part.
Tim said: “We did a tester event in May last year, and our first full event in September. The first was pulling in friends, family and anyone who wanted a go. Lots of them then came back for the next ‘proper’ event. When we ran the games in February, we had 103, and signups are even better for May with 140 signed up. It’s blown my mind. To go from nothing to where we are going, is really humbling.”
Tim, 51, who is married to his wife Lee, with two children, has always been into his fitness. His interests range from running and gym, to triathlon, long-distance cycling and fitness events.
But Tim, from North Swindon, could see the fitness events he was taking part in were very commercial focused, with potentially prohibitive entrance fees, as well as a strong competitive element, which can put people off.
He wanted instead to deliver an inclusive event, that anyone could come along to, without feeling intimidated or breaking the bank.
The Longevity Games are aimed at people of all ages, and levels of fitness. Events include running or walking, lunge walks, burpee jumps, and squats, and participants can choose from three categories – Novice, Intermediate, and Proficient.
“I wanted to create an environment that’s not scary, but one that’s fun, and where people want to come back, and next time bring along their friends. It’s all about investing in yourself to reap the rewards that will come. Participants can be as competitive as they wish – or alternatively, not at all. There are no timing chips, so no pressure.”
Tim’s vision is for the Longevity Games to have a far-reaching and positive impact on the health of people in the town. At every event he invites other sports and fitness clubs to come along and promote themselves, so participants can see what is available and be inspired to carry on their fitness. He is also hoping GPs will refer patients to the Longevity Games as part of a fitness plan.
He already has other towns asking him to duplicate the Longevity Games, and there’s even interest from the United States.
After the May event, there are three more Longevity Games planned for this year: 20th July at Moredon Sporting Hub; 14th September at Swindon Harriers Athletic Track; and a date and venue in November, details to be confirmed.
For more information about the Longevity Games and how to take part, visit: https://thelongevitygames.co.uk/. Each event costs £35, which includes a finisher’s t-shirt, a branded water bottle, and access to high-resolution photographs. Most importantly, a great day out and a feeling of accomplishment.
Entertainment Swindon 
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