Homo sapiens the main attraction at Colchester Zoo
You may not have the speed of a cheetah or the strength of a gorilla but you can still enjoy viewing the other animals as they look on, bemused by your human antics, in the Colchester Zoo Stampede 10K on Sunday (19 May).
The fully subscribed second Colchester Zoo Stampede 10K is presented by busy race organisers RunThrough and is based at one of Britain's top two zoos and 11th ranked in the world, according to TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Attractions. Colchester Zoo is home to over 260 species from around the world including zebra, giraffes, leopards, elephants, rhinos and orangutans and is set within 60 acres of beautiful parkland and lakes.
On Sunday the resident animals will be joined by around 1,500 of the finest examples of Homo sapiens who will all enjoy free entry to the zoo, themed medals, event T-shirt, chip timing and a goody bag for their £30 entry fee – good value as zoo entry alone is worth £22.99.
The winners of last year's inaugural Colchester Zoo Stampede 10K were M45 Adrian Mussett (Colchester Harriers, 32:42) and Daisy Glover (Framlingham, 37:47) from Suffolk, who was not spooked by wearing race number 666!
Nearly 200 runners charged round the course inside 50 minutes on the closed-roads course that starts with a 1km loop within the zoo and finishes back at the zoo after a lap in quiet countryside through Heckfordbridge via Hardy's Green. Last year there were 1,131 finishers in 1:39:51.
The race supports the animal charity Action for the Wild to support conservation programmes worldwide. Since achieving charitable status in 2004, Action for the Wild has donated more than £2million to a broad spectrum of conservation projects, including establishing the 6,000 hectare UmPhafa Private Nature Reserve in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.
Look out for results and race report in runABC South next week.
Image courtesy RunThrough/Colchester Zoo Stampede 10K