Sporting Events

With the success of the Sports Relief mile under their belts, Middlesbrough Council have embraced the opportunity to continue making Middlesbrough a fitter place, with their new Run Middlesbrough campaign.

The new runs will take place at the end of March and include a one mile fun run, one mile elite run, and the Middlesbrough Tees Pride 5k Road Race.

Proving that everyone can join in...

And did we mention that running is credit crunch-tastic? It's the cheapest way to keep fit, and nearly everyone can do it, so why have we suddenly been inundated with local races?

"I ran in the 10k last year, and see that the council are trying to encourage fitness, which can only be a good thing. These kinds of events are cropping up across the country and are a very simple way to get people active." Says athlete Steve Cram.

"Offering this race in March means it's an achievable goal to set now... and hopefully people will take the challenge and build on it. You need to do these things in stepping stones, and that's what's on offer here with the 5k and then the 10k later in the year, even I need stepping stones to achieve my race goals!"

Fellow runner Allison Curbishley is also taking part in the race in March, and says: "The 5k is opening Middlesbrough up to the rest of the country as a place to run. There aren't many road opportunities around the UK, there's plenty of cross country events and track events, but you don't often get the opportunity to have a good road race.

"We're hoping for a lot of middle distance runners, and may even get a couple of Olympic hopefuls!"

Cram added: "The junior athletes are where we're looking, it's good competition for them to race against more senior athletes, and that's what they need to keep progressing."

Race organiser Jimmy Wattis added: "The finish line will be the best confidence boost for the younger athletes. As they reach the finish line they'll be going past the runners lining up for the 5k... that means potentially thousands of people cheering them on."

If you're interested in taking part in either of the three races happening on Sunday 29th March in Middlesbrough, please click the links at the top right of this page.