The organisers of Shrewsbury Half Marathon, UK Run Events, have launched the Shropshire Primary Schools Half Marathon to encourage local schools to get involved in a weekend celebration of running on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th June 2018.
The 2018 Shropshire Primary Schools Half Marathon in association with Shrewsbury Half Marathon is part of the Primary Schools Challenge and will enable children to complete their very own cumulative half marathon, where the first 12 miles of the challenge are completed at school and the final 1.1 miles are run at The Shrewsbury Half Marathon at Shropshire County Showground on Saturday 16th June starting at 9am.
Here they will get the full race experience including race bibs, a marshalled route, music and a start and finish line gantry, allowing them to enjoy the thrill of a big sporting event and to be cheered on by friends and family. They will also receive a fantastic Half Marathon medal and t-shirt, exactly like the adults completing the Shrewsbury Half Marathon the following day, Sunday 17th June.
The Shropshire Primary Schools Half Marathon has come about after a successful trial in 2017 with two schools, Belvidere Primary and Harlescott Juniors. A total of 75 children took part in the trial and, following highly positive feedback and popular demand, the event has been made official for 2018.
The organisers are keen to emphasise that the Shropshire Primary Schools Half Marathon is not a race for children. More, it is an inclusive challenge where over a period of time children can develop new, healthy habits to exercise regularly, under no pressure to compete and yet gaining huge confidence in achieving something as significant as a half marathon.
The challenge works with the first 12 miles taking place at school, one mile at a time, over the course of a half term or term. Children are provided with a dedicated achievement chart so they can look forward to logging each mile they complete, and each school has a tracker chart for the class room to log the miles.
The cost to each school is £12 per child, which can be seen as effective spending of their Sports Premium given the many benefits it offers: promoting inclusion, encouraging physical activity, developing resilience, organisational skills, confidence, commitment and improving mental health.
Schools have the additional option, at a charge, of requesting a running coach to spend a day at the school to share example running drills and coaching sessions with the children.
Race Director Joe Williams commented, “We are delighted to launch the 2018 Shropshire Primary Schools Half Marathon in association with Shrewsbury Half Marathon. This is a wonderful opportunity for local children to get active and enjoy the experience of taking part in a big running event, whilst earning their very own half marathon medal! Our aim is to encourage an active, healthy lifestyle from a young age and to instil a positive attitude towards exercise through fun, inclusive non timed events. Many young runners will have grown-ups taking part in the Shrewsbury Half Marathon the following day, making it a weekend of sporting celebration for the whole family. Entry to both events are now open and we look forward to welcoming runners of all ages over the course of the weekend.”
The Shropshire Primary Schools Half Marathon takes place on Saturday 16th June 2018 starting at 9am. A total of 1,500 places are available and it is open to all children aged 4 to 11 years. For more information or to arrange a phone call or meeting, please email shrewsburyhalf@ukrunevents.co.uk.
12 Primary Schools and 538 places are already confirmed with Oakmeadow, Meole Brace, The White House School, Bomere Heath, Harlescott Juniors, Belvidere, Whixall, St Andrew’s, Prees, Myddle, Kinnerley and Lawley Village Academy.
The Shrewsbury Half Marathon takes place on Sunday 17th June 2018. A total of 3,500 places are available for this popular race that offers a perfect combination of history and scenery, the route taking runners through Shrewsbury’s Medieval town centre and some of Shropshire’s countryside.
The Shrewsbury Half Marathon is open for entries, go to www.shrewsburyhalf.co.uk for further details and to register.
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