Bel Levene

I am a highly dedicated and committed athlete and am passionate about sport. I am qualified in Personal Training and Sports Massage (Premier Global, Trowbridge, Wiltshire). I have worked as a Personal Trainer and Sports Therapist at LA Fitness, Woking and as Assistant Manager at the Sweatshop in Woking, which specialises in analysing individuals’ runner gaits. I have also worked for Snow and Rock in Chertsey.

I went on to complete a Diploma in Healthcare at Brooklands College before studying Sports Psychology at the University of Roehampton. I graduated in 2016 and I am registered with the British Psychological Society. I continued my personal development by obtaining a Level 4 Diploma in Personal Training for the Exercise Referral of Obese and Diabetic Clients, as well as the Advanced Sports Massage Diploma. I am now certified under the Register of Exercise Professionals, a leading body in the health and fitness industry.

In the future, I will continue developing my skills and experience in the Health and Fitness industry. I intend to coach middle and long distance runners. This passion for health and fitness started when I was very young. I grew up with two sporty older brothers and I always wanted to keep up with them! I only realised I could run when I was 22. I volunteered to run a marathon in memory of a friend who died suddenly following an asthma attack. Before then, I had run no more than eight miles. My aim was just to finish and more importantly fundraise for my friend’s funeral.

To my surprise, I finished third in the marathon, with a time of 3 hours 26 minutes! This encouraged me to enter more events. I finished second in two further races, a 16-mile road and an off road half marathon in Box Hill, Surrey. However, it was not until I ran the New York Marathon in 2006 for the charity, “Get Kids Going,” which helps disabled children participate in sport, that I started taking my running seriously. Later that year, I finished eleventh in the UK Road Running Rankings in the US, behind Paula Radcliffe.

Soon after, Woking Athletics Club asked me to run for them. I did this for four years, under the guidance of coach, Fred Bell, who continues to be a key player in my running now!

In 2010 I worked with Martin McCarthy, coach for Aldershot, Farnham & District, an experienced and talented runner himself. With his guidance, I smashed my 10km, half marathon and marathon times.

I have competed in many events including the ‘Hood to Coast Relay,’ the biggest relay in the world in Oregon, USA, the “Human Race,” in Taipei, Taiwan, the 4-Day Endurance Challenge in Paphos, Cyprus, and the Berlin Marathon. In 2016, I completed my first Olympic distance Triathlon.

Running was an integral part of my life and I loved nothing more than a good run, a great race and a hard session at the track. However, having sustained three femoral fractures I took the very difficult decision with the support of my coach and surgeon to retire from running. However, I still enjoy cross training including Open Water Swimming, Cycling, Resistance Training and anything that gets the heart racing!

This year I completed the hardest race of my life namely the “Mallorca 312” with over 8000 riders taking part I was part of the minority of 1551 riders who actually finished. As well as the Mallorca 312 I completed to the London to Brighton road race and to my surprise placed second overall female. Finally, I’m delighted to say I have been selected to represent Great Britain in Malaga next year for my age group to compete over the Aqua bike distance which includes a 1500m sea swim & a 40k Road Race. No pressure then for 2024!

From January 1st there will be a small price increase for the treatment that I offer to reflect the continued rising cost of my massage oils, acupuncture needles and other materials and more notably a large increase to my rent at David Lloyd, Woking.

All treatments are charged at £65 per session. There will also be the option of buying a block package of either six or twelve sessions which will work out cheaper. Appointments are approximately 50-55 minutes long and available five days a week.