RUNTHROUGH has released a race film documenting and highlighting the Warrington Running Festival 2023, the world’s first free to enter closed road mass participation event.
The event succeeded in achieving the RunThrough Foundation’s aim of getting more people into running for the physical and mental health benefits associated with 66% of participants having never taken part in an officially organised event before. The race film release comes as RunThrough has opened registration for the Warrington Running Festival 2024.
The short film documenting the Warrington Running Festival 2023 aims to take viewers along to experience what the incredible day was where 6,000 individuals, from over 20,000 that applied, took part across the 10, Half Marathon and Junior races. The race film also aims to share some of the reasoning for making the event free. RunThrough co-founder Ben Green says in the race film: “to bring running and sport and events to people’s lives and the commitment and motivation that comes along with those days. The build up, the training and all of the mental health benefits and the joy that brings. Hopefully they [the runners]can take something on after the race and keep it going.”
The aim of RunThrough and the RunThrough Foundation was to attract as many new runners as possible as well as targeting individuals from low income areas to break down further barriers to entry. The success in achieving these aims is reflected in the participant data breakdown which shows that 66% of participants had never taken part in an officially organised event before. In addition, 100% of ballot applicants from low income areas of Warrington that applied to the ballot were given places which equated to over 20% of the 6,000 participants.
As was always the intention of RunThrough and the RunThrough Foundation, their free event initiative will return in 2024 but at a different event in a different part of the country, to be decided, in order to foundation’s impact as widely as possible. Therefore, in 2024 the Warrington Running Festival will return under its traditional entry model. The 10k, Half Marathon and Junior Race will also see the return of the 5k distance which was omitted from the 2023 event. Individuals wishing to secure early bird entry to the 2024 Warrington Running Festival can enter via the website here.
Ben Green, Co-Founder of RunThrough and Warrington native, said: “I am so proud for us to have delivered this, the world’s first completely free to enter mass participation road running event. And for it to have been in my home town makes it even more special. To be able to commemorate and celebrate the event with this race film that we hope all those who took part will be able to look back on and watch with great enjoyment and for those who weren’t able to attend to see what a fantastic day it was and hopefully be inspired to join us next year. My thanks goes out to everyone that helped make this event a reality from our partners and sponsors to our incredible team who worked so hard on the event, Warrington Borough Council with whom we worked very closely, as well as each and everyone one of the volunteers who gave up their time to come out and support the event and their community.”
Chris Evans, a representative from Birchwood Shopping Centre, Warrington Running Festival Gold Partner, said in the race film: “We’re really pleased to be part of it [the Warrington Running Festival 2023]and we in our wildest dreams couldn’t believe what we turned up to. We jumped at the chance to be part of it because of what the [RunThrough] Foundation stood for. It’s about the every runner!”
The Warrington Running Festival was delivered by RunThrough, the UK’s largest and Europe’s fastest growing running events company, who operate over 200 events per year for over 200,000 people. Some of RunThrough’s highlight events within the calendar outside of the Warrington Running Festival include the Cheshire 10k, Macclesfield Running Festival and the Run Tatton Half Marathon.
RunThrough extends thanks to all Warrington Running Festival partners who helped to make the event possible.
- Gold Partner – Birchwood Shopping Centre
- Silver Partner – Knight Corporate Finance
- Junior Race Partner – Kids Planet Day Nurseries
- Bronze Partners – Adele Carr Recruitment, Watsons Solicitors
