THOUSANDS of primary school children across Wales took part in a series of 2km fun runs last week thanks to the running initiative GO Run For Fun.
The first of four events took place on Tuesday 02 October at the Queensway Stadium in Wrexham. Other events included Talbot Memorial Park in Port Talbot on Wednesday, Glasfryn Park in Gwynedd on Thursday and the Showground in Anglesey on Friday, with nearly 1000 children attending each event.
Cross Country runner Tom Marshall, who competed at the Commonwealth Games 2018, attended all three of these events, and took part in the group warm ups and sounded the klaxon at the start line of each race. He said: “The chance to help inspire the next generation is one of the most important parts of my athletics career. I don’t just run for myself, I run to help others believe in themselves, and believe that they can achieve great results in all walks of life.
“Health and fitness are essential for tomorrow’s generation, and to be involved in an event that puts this at the forefront is an honour.”
When asked what advice he would give to young children about staying active, Tom said: “Enjoy what you do and take part in loads of different sports, and don’t be afraid to be different. My school was all about rugby, and I dared to be different and tried running. It’s been the biggest part of my life, and everything revolves around it. It’s taken me across the world, and has given me both incredible friends, and memories. Enjoy being healthy, enjoy sport, and enjoy being active.”
So far this year, GO Run For Fun has organised 15 running events across the UK to encourage primary school children, between the ages of five and ten years old to participate in activity. The initiative’s aim is to get 280,000 children running by the end of 2018.
The programme is supported by INEOS, a multinational company headquartered in London, with health and fitness at the heart of its ethos.
INEOS Chairman and CEO, Jim Ratcliffe, is deeply passionate about running. He said: “It has never been more important to support young people in leading healthier, more active lives.
“GO Run for Fun and The Daily Mile have been making a positive impact on the health and well-being of hundreds of thousands of children in the UK and beyond for the last four years. We are very proud to support these two initiatives and everyone who runs in them.”
GO Run For Fun organises free running events across the world to inspire children to be more active. To find out more about GO Run For Fun, visit www.thedailymileevents.com or stay up to date on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITOR:
The GO Run For Fun campaign is delivered by the GO Run For Fun Foundation in partnership with Nova International, organisers of the Great Run series. Find out more about Great Runs here.
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