30 Seconds, Burpees and a Pair of Shades: Sunday Shades at GREAT 118

We thought we were setting up a burpee challenge.

Turns out, we were setting up a very competitive 30 seconds.

As the Official Sunglasses Partner of the Great Eastern Women’s Run, we joined the GREAT 118 challenge on 29 August — and our station quickly became one of those places where “just one try” somehow turned into a second attempt.

The challenge was simple: 30 seconds. As many burpees as you could manage, wearing a pair of Sunday Shades. The highest score at the end of the day won a pair of Sunday Shades.

Simple enough, right?

Thirty Seconds Is Longer Than It Sounds

By the time participants reached us, they had already made their way through 18 stations of GREAT 118. Legs were tired, heart rates were up, and yet somehow, when the timer started, everyone found another gear.

Some went for speed. Some went for survival. Some looked at the leaderboard, decided their score wasn't good enough and went straight back in for another round.

And then there were the people who treated 30 seconds like an Olympic final.

We saw burpees. Lots of them. We also saw plenty of encouragement from friends, a fair bit of competitive banter, and the occasional look of regret halfway through a second attempt. Most importantly, the pair of Sunday Shades the participants wore stayed on.

Honestly, we loved every second of it.

The Leaderboard Had a Life of Its Own

The fun part was watching the leaderboard move throughout the day.

A score would go up. Someone else would beat it. Then someone would come along, take a look at the number to beat and decide they weren't leaving without giving it a shot.

By the final few participants, every burpee mattered.

And while there could only be a few names at the top, everyone who stepped up had already done something worth celebrating: they had finished the challenge, then willingly signed up for another 30 seconds of extra work.

That's commitment.

See You at the Next One

A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by, took on the burpee challenge, cheered on a friend or simply came over for a chat.

And of course, congratulations to our leaderboard winners — enjoy those shades. You definitely earned them.

To everyone who took on GREAT 118: well done. You showed up, got sweaty and pushed through 18 stations. We'll happily call that a great day out.

See you at the next run.