With this year’s Virgin London Marathon just around the corner (April 25 2010), the annual Kingston Breakfast Run on Sunday April 11 is the perfect warm-up.
The Breakfast Run, which started in 1997 with just 500 competitors, now attracts over 5,000 runners of all ages and abilities, many of whom use it as their final race before the London Marathon which is two weeks later.
‘The race evolved from being the Kingston 10km run,’ says Human Race founder, John Lunt. ‘But runners kept telling me they needed a longer race to get ready for London which is why I extended it,’ he says. ‘It’s a beautiful, well tried course and it’s fast and accurate which helps runners in the final weeks before London,’ Lunt added.
The picturesque race which starts and finishes in Kingston’s lively marketplace and takes in Kingston Bridge, the River Thames, Barge Walk and Hampton Court Palace offers the option of 16 miles or a shorter 8.2 loop from Kingston to Hampton Court.
The course record is a speedy 40.15 for the 8.2 miles, set in 2006 and 1.24.12 for 16 miles, set in 2004.
There are still limited places left for both distances although places are filling fast. The Full Distance, 16 miles, costs £25 while the Half-Distance costs £22. Age requirements are 16 for the 8.2 mile race and 18 for the 16 mile race.
The race aims to raise over £30,000 for Leukaemia Research, who in their 50th year are the only UK charity solely dedicated to research into blood cancers, including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
The Kingston Breakfast Run takes place on Sunday April 11 2010. Entries can be made online at: www.humanrace.co.uk The closing date is Monday 5th April
