Run London's Greenest Half For Charity
The ballot for entry in the Royal Parks Half Marathon on Sunday 14 October has closed with record numbers as many rushed to secure a place in London's greenest 13.1 mile race. Now the only remaining route into this incredibly popular event is to run for one of the event's charities.
The 11th edition of the race will take runners through four of London’s eight Royal Parks, namely Hyde Park, Green Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens. As well as running through these historic parks, competitors also take in iconic landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Horse Guards Parade, Royal Albert Hall and Houses of Parliament.
It is still the only race of its kind that visits all the major parks of central London and while runners are enjoying the spectacular vistas the spectators also have the chance to enjoy some of the capital’s breath-taking green and leafy views from the paths and parks on the route.
However, it is not just the foliage and green spaces on the route that gives this superb event its green credentials. During the last 10 years the race has continued to promote its sustainable ethos. In 2017, 58% of waste from the food festival and 95% of the plastic bottles used for the event were recycled and 891kgs of discarded clothing was saved from going to landfill.
Since 2008 over 128,000 runners have crossed the finish line in Hyde Park. More than £35 million has been raised for good causes and some 550 companies have raced the Corporate Half Marathon. Since its launch it has seen an increase in the number of participants who do not live in the London area, up 40% in 2017 compared to 2008. In 2017 there were 30 nations represented and 83% of runners in 2017 were completing a 13.1 mile race for the first time.
Head of Major Events, Sally Barney, said: “We are proud to be recognised as one of the greenest half marathons and we remain fully committed to doing as much as we can to improve the sustainability of the race and encouraging our runners to support our efforts in their own ways. A huge amount of work goes into maintaining London’s Royal Parks each year and the half marathon enables us to raise vital funds to ensure they continue to be the magical places that everyone can enjoy.”
To register to run the 2018 Royal Parks Half Marathon for charity click here
Image courtesy Royal Parks Half Marathon
