AHEAD of this weekend’s Warrington Running Festival, organisers RunThrough have launched their #WarringtonRises Campaign with the aim of improving mental and physical health in the community.
The world’s first free running event, due to be held at Bank Park in Warrington on Sunday 24th September, will see 6,000 participants, all of whom gained their places via a ballot which over 20,000 people applied, running in the 10k and Half Marathon races. There will also be a junior race taking place that is presented by Kids Planet Day Nurseries.
The #WarringtonRises campaign aims to bring people of all ages and fitness levels together to celebrate the power of running and its positive impact on health and wellbeing. As well as the campaign aiming to inspire people to be active it also aims to inspire those not able to take part in Sunday’s event to unite as one town and support all those taking part. There will be plenty of additional activities and entertainment in Bank Park where the race starts and finishes so supporters will be able to cheer on runners and enjoy a fun-filled day out. The campaign will be delivered across a range of platforms including organic social media, paid social media, traditional print media as well as digital out of home billboards which will be visible throughout Warrington in the days leading up to the event.
By launching the #WarringtonRises campaign alongside the running festival, RunThrough hopes to bring attention to the vital role that physical activity plays in promoting physical and mental wellbeing. Studies have shown that regular exercise can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, boost self-esteem, and improve overall mental health alongside the well known physical benefits. This campaign aims to spread this message and encourage individuals to lace up their running shoes and join the movement towards better health.
Ben Green, Co-Founder of RunThrough and Warrington native, commented: “It is incredible to think that we are now less than a week away from holding the world’s first free running festival in my hometown of Warrington! And to launch this campaign around the event which not only aims to unite the town in support of the festival but also to inspire more broadly to be active through running fills me with a great sense of pride. I can’t wait to see all of the runners and supporters out on the streets of Warrington on Sunday and know that it will be an experience that won’t be forgotten.”
Of the 6,000 free places assigned to runners via the ballot, having worked closely with Warrington Borough Council, RunThrough were able to prioritise all applicants from low income areas of Warrington and assign places to 100% of these applicants with the remaining entries being awarded on a draw basis. This was done to ensure the RunThrough Foundation’s objective of empowering people from low-income areas to transform their physical and mental wellbeing. A measure of already delivering against this objective is that there are a large number of participants taking part for whom this will be their first time taking part in a running event.
The Warrington Running Festival will start and finish in Bank Park, Warrington on Sunday 24th September with races starting at 09:00 am and anyone wishing to unite and support is encouraged to come to the event village in Bank Park or to support along the route. More information is available on the Warrington Running Festival website here.
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