Sunshine and high fives at Schools Half Marathon Brighton & Hove
The Schools Half Marathon Brighton and Hove took place recently and saw hundreds of children complete the final 1.1 mile of their cumulative half marathon under sunshine and blue skies.
The atmosphere was buzzing as children from schools across East and West Sussex gathered at Withdean Athletics Stadium to run the final leg of a challenge that they have been working towards at school over the past weeks and months.
There was huge support from teachers, parents, guardians and friends as the children set off in their bright yellow Schools Half Marathon t-shirts around the track, with lots of high fives and cheers of encouragement right up until the last runner crossed the line. Waiting at the finish line for every participant was a carton of One Water and a well-deserved medal, which the children wore proudly to celebrate their amazing achievement.
Schools Half Marathon is a non-competitive and inclusive movement that encourages regular exercise for primary school age pupils. The youngsters run the 12 initial miles at school or on their own, earning rewards along the way, and at the final event they are treated to a full race experience, including bibs, a marshalled 1.1-mile route, music, commentator and a finish line gantry.
Schools Half Marathon Race Director Joe Williams commented, “It was fantastic to see so many children – along with plenty of parents and teachers – complete the Schools Half Marathon Brighton & Hove last weekend at Withdean Stadium. There were smiles all around as the youngsters ran the very last 1.1 mile of their challenge together, and a great feeling of community and support. Each and every one of them deserved their big shiny medal! We would like to thank all the teachers, schools, parents and guardians for supporting the pupils on their journey, and huge congratulations of course to all the young runners for their achievement!”
Sarah Watkins, Regional Team Leader for Brighton & Hove, added, “We couldn’t have asked for a better event to launch the Schools Half Marathon Brighton and Hove and I am thrilled with the success of our first year. It has been so rewarding to see children get outside and active, and it was emotional to see all of them put everything into the last 1.1 mile in front of family and friends. The support that the young runners showed to each other, and the encouragement that they gave to other runners no matter their ability or speed, was absolutely incredible. We’ve had lots of fantastic comments from teachers and parents who have seen how much their pupils have grown in confidence as they ticked off the miles of their Schools Half Marathon. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back in 2020 and to inspire many more children and adults to achieve something amazing.”
The date for the 2020 Schools Half Marathon Brighton and Hove is Saturday 20th June.
Go to www.schoolshalfmarathon.co.uk for further details, like UK Run Events on Facebook and follow @ukrunevents on Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest news #SchoolsHalfMarathon #MoveForLife.