NE1 Ltd in partnership with Great Run Local is launching a free, weekly city centre run to give office workers in Newcastle the chance to leave their desks, have some fun, stretch their legs and get fit during their lunch break. Every Thursday at 12.45, the new weekly city run of either 2k or 5k will start at Newcastle’s iconic Quayside and take in a route along the river – both routes will start and finish at the Swirle Pavillion on the Quayside and will be organised by Great Run Local with volunteering staff from Ward Hadaway, Barclays Bank and North P&I Club along with Great Run Local volunteers.
The weekly event is being launched on Thursday 29 August with participants encouraged to
sign up on-line to take part. Runners will receive their own Great Run local Timing Tag when they register to chart their time and set themselves goals to improve and strive for a personal best each time they take part. https://www.greatrunlocal.org/register
The event is designed for all abilities from absolute beginners to experienced runners and will hopefully encourage teams of office workers to don their trainers and get out, have some fun and get healthy.
The event is the latest in a series of initiatives NE1 Ltd has launched in Newcastle to introduce fun and active events to get people involved and help improve the health of the city centre. It is part of NE1 Ltd’s five-year plan to improve the health and greening of the city. As part of these efforts, NE1 brought the Newcastle City Sprint cycle race to the city centre this year and also holds twice weekly bootcamp sessions for city centre workers. The classes, run by Operation Fitness, are held on the Quayside every Tuesday and Wednesday at 12.45pm. This has been ongoing for the past 7 years, amounting to over 10,000 attendees accessing free fitness classes.
Tariq Albassam, Head of Operations at NE1 Ltd said:
“The Great Run Local weekly run is a fantastic new event for city centre workers in Newcastle. We’re really keen to encourage people to get out from behind their desks and get active, and what better backdrop is there for a weekly run than Newcastle’s iconic Quayside. Come rain or shine the event will take place with workers challenging themselves against the stopwatch. We know that there is a strong demand from city centre workers to get involved and are sure it will be a huge success. We are already thankful for the support from Ward Hadaway, Barclays Bank and North P&I Club who are providing volunteers to help run the events.”
Tom Lavender Great Run Local General Manager at The Great Run Company said: “We are delighted to be working alongside NE1 to deliver Great Run Local Newcastle Quayside, making this our 27th weekly run in the UK. Great Run Local encourages participation in sport for all ages and abilities and will deliver so many benefits for city centre workers. It’s fun, it’s free and it is good for you. Great Run Local Newcastle Quayside will be supported by brilliant volunteers from Ward Hadaway, Barclays Bank, North P&I Club and The Great Run Company. We cannot thank these businesses enough for coming on board and being part of this exciting run on the Quayside.
“There will be also be a social start and finish area on the Quayside for participants to meet new people, interact with other runners, share stories and encourage each other. Runners will get their own personal Great Run Local Timing Tag, so they can track their progress through our unique mobile app.”
Participants can join on-line before the event – or register when they turn up: https://www.greatrunlocal.org/events/north-east/newcastle-upon-tyne/newcastle-5k
Course Description
2k - Starting on line with the Millennium Bridge, the 2k route is a simple out and back along the Newcastle side of the river. Runners will head south towards the Copthorne Hotel and when reaching the end of this building will make a U-turn before heading back to the finish point located at the bandstand up from the Pitcher & Piano.
5k - The 5K route starts at the bandstand up from the picture and piano, and heads north past Malmo Quay. Once runners reach the gravelled section of the route, they will make a U-turn and head back towards the Pitcher & Piano, running on the path behind the bar (as opposed to in-front of the bar). When runners re-join the path adjacent to the Millennium Bridge, they will run towards the Copthorne Hotel, making a U turn after the hotel before heading back towards the pitcher and piano. Runners will continue and run in front of the Pitcher and Piano this time, back towards the gravelled section of the course, before making another U-turn and returning to the finish line at the bandstand.
Both routes will be fully signed and marshalled and cater for all ages and abilities.
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