On a jam-packed calendar of races being run on the runABC South patch this weekend the outstanding events will be the Vitality Westminster Mile on Saturday 21 September and the Vitality London 10,000 on Sunday 22 September 2024.

Vitality Westminster Mile is one of the most successful legacy events from the London 2012 Olympic Games. It comprises 27 waves of mile races for all ages and abilities around St James's Park, starting at 9:30am and culminating in the BMC Bannister Mile at 2:20pm.

The final race will see elite athletes attempting to run under four minutes (men) and 4:30 (women) for the first time in the Westminster Mile – 70 years after Sir Roger Bannister became the first person to run a sub-four-minute mile on the track.

There are dedicated adult and family waves, including a walking family wave at 12:15pm. New and returning waves include ones for parkrun, Children with Cancer UK, the Ruth Strauss Foundation, Westminster City Council, Blueprint for All, Bloomsbury Football, and London United. The event guide is available here.

The following day the streets of the capital will be taken over by around 20,000 runners in the  Vitality London 10,000 on the classic route that passes many of London's most famous landmarks including Admiralty Arch, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Bank of England, Somerset House, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey before finishing in front of Buckingham Palace.

The 2024 champions from The Big Half are returning to contest the London 10,000 road race. Eilish McColgan, the fastest British woman in history over 10K, will be joined by the defending 2023 Vitality London 10,000 men's winner, Jack Rowe.

Among the celebrities and past masters competing is the three-times former winner of Vitality London 10,000 and five-times Olympian Jo Pavey, now an ambassador for Running at 40 Plus. 

Also running is TV personality and DJ Adele Roberts, who is celebrating those who supported her in setting a Guinness World Record at the 2023 TCS London Marathon as the fastest woman to complete the marathon with a stoma, and is now targeting a similar feat by completing all six Abbott World Marathon Majors in a year.

The first 10K wave will depart at 9:55am, with other start times and a course map detailed in the Event Guide 

On both days, the popular Vitality Wellness Festival returns in Green Park with various activities and sports available for free for all the family. A full list of the attractions is here. 

Previous results and stories are available at the runABC South race listing for the Vitality Westminster Mile and the Vitality London 10,000

Photo courtesy of Westminster Mile on Facebook