Bespak GEAR entries open with free Marathon place up grabs
Entries for the 2016 Bespak Grand East Anglia Run (GEAR), which takes place on Sunday 1 May, are now open. Last year's event received a record number of entries and it is hoped that this year's will too with improvements to a new mobile friendly website.
In addition, entries for the main race, received by Monday, 14 December 2015, will have the chance to be entered into a draw to win a free place in next year's London Marathon. The free Marathon place was given to GEAR on winning the BARR 10k race of the year award last year.
Bespak Managing Director Keyvan Djamarani said: "The GEAR is a fantastic event for King’s Lynn and the surrounding communities and Bespak is proud to continue sponsoring this event. The event goes from strength to strength and the enthusiasm and the excitement is great even if the weather is not ideal in some years. I hope the opportunity for winning a place at the London Marathon will be yet another enticement for greater participation this year. We at Bespak are again very much looking forward to participating and supporting this year’s GEAR and mini-GEAR events in May."
On Sunday, 1 May 2016, the main Bespak Grand East Anglia Run 10k race will start at 10.45am in the Tuesday Market Place in King's Lynn, with the mini GEAR fun run starting at 10am. The fast, flat course takes runners on a loop through the town centre, through The Walks and along the waterfront, showcasing some of the town's key heritage and retail areas.
Cllr David Pope, Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk Cabinet Member for ICT, Leisure and Public Space, said: "Despite the rain at last year's event, we had a fantastic atmosphere and some great performances and people still came out to cheer the runners on. The weather didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits and we had some truly excellent feedback about the event. I hope that people sign up for the race and come to experience this superb event for themselves."
The course is suitable for runners of all abilities, including wheelchair athletes.
The Bespak GEAR is a UKA and BARR Gold-Graded event. The cost of entry is £18 for affiliated runners and £20 for unaffiliated runners. To enter, runners must be aged 15 or over on race day. The Bespak Mini GEAR 1.2m fun run is open to anyone over 6 years of age (under 8s must be accompanied by an adult). The cost of entry for Bespak Mini GEAR is £7.00 for adults, £6.00 for under 16s and £5.00 for under 8s.
There are generous cash prizes for Bespak GEAR category winners and everyone taking part will receive a quality medal and goody bag.
Cllr Elizabeth Nockolds, Alive Leisure Board Member, said: "Alive Leisure are looking forward to running the event on behalf of the borough council again this year. It is such an important event for the town and one which we aim to maintain as a high quality event catering for elite, fun runners and charity fund raisers alike. Whether your target is a personal best time or sponsorship for your chosen charity, we would urge you to get your entries in soon and get your training underway."
Enter online now at http://www.grandeastangliarun.co.uk.
For all the latest information follow on Twitter @GEARKL or like Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bespak-Grand-East-Anglia-Run-2013/396658820415128
For help with training for this event, go to our Training and Advice section.
Click here for a training programme to get round.
Click here for a training programme to run under 60 minutes.
Click here for a training programme to run under 50 minutes.
Click here for a training programme to run under 40 minutes.