It was an unexpected sight a two-seater couch trundling along the roads towed by two of the Island’s top runners.Up ahead were 90 runners and walkers taking part in the ‘Sir’ Stanley Burgess 5K road race, and among them a team of 46 out to prove they could beat the sofa on wheels.The training group, dubbed ‘Beat the Couch’, had spent the previous 10 weeks improving their fitness building up to the challenge of a 5K. They were aged from 30 to 60 and most were women, quite a few being mothers looking to get back in shape after having children. Four of the team were men.Guided by coaches Sergio White, Chuck Morgan and nutritionist Catherine Burns, the group was given the added incentive of turning the catchy ‘Beat the Couch’ metaphor into a reality if they could stay ahead of the couch being towed by elite runners Chris and Ashley Estwanik.The couch and its handlers were no slouches, covering the 3.1 miles in around 54 minutes, but in Sunday morning’s race the accolades belonged to the training group who all achieved their goal of beating the couch to the finish line.Mrs Burns, who writes the ‘Food for Thought’ weekly column in The Royal Gazette, said: “The greatest thing about something like this is setting a goal and getting to the end. It is such an empowering feeling.” She added the achievement gave participants increased confidence, self assurance and improved their health.Having now completed a 5K, some of the training group will be out again in the Appleby Bermuda Day Half-Marathon on May 24, which will feature five ‘Beat the Couch’ relay teams. It is hoped a new training group will commence in the autumn. Further details are available at www.natural.bm.Sunday’s 5K road race men’s and women’s champions were Juma Mouchette and Krista Dyer respectively.Watch The Royal Gazette’s ‘Beat the Couch’ race video at http://tinyurl.com/beatthecouch