Date set for Shrewsbury 10k 2021 as race becomes centrepiece of running festival
A date has been confirmed for one of the county's major running events – which will now stretch to a weekend festival.
Shrewsbury 10k will take place on Sunday, August 22, and will now be the centrepiece of Shrewsbury Running Festival. It was originally scheduled to take place in March.
The event, which is being sponsored by Hatfields, will also include a 5K run – which has a minimum entry age of 11 – together with a 2K team relay and one mile time trial, both open to runners aged eight upwards, will be held in The Quarry a day earlier on August 21.
The new date follows discussions between the organisers Ultimate Fitness Events, governing body Run Britain, Shrewsbury Town Council and Shropshire Council, following the latest Covid-19 guidance from the government.
The 10K run, which will be held for the sixth time, will be the showpiece of a weekend of activities that also includes the Shrewsability Run on the same day.
There are a limited number of places available, with numbers restricted to 2,000 runners across the weekend.
Simon Macdonald, director of Ultimate Fitness Events, said: "We are working tirelessly preparing the event and are putting extra measures in place to ensure the safety of everyone taking part and our event team.”
He added: “It’s fantastic to have the support of Hatfields and it’s a real coup to have an association with a big, local brand.
“The 2021 event will be a fun running festival for the local community and a weekend-long event for the first time.
“This will be the sixth year we have staged the 10K and, as it’s a big distance to run, we thought it would be nice to include more events alongside it, so there’s now the option for people of all different running levels to be able to enjoy taking part.
“It's the ultimate town race. You can run it with family and friends, run for charity, or just to push yourself with a new challenge.”
The route for the Shrewsbury 10K, which will start and finish in the town’s Quarry Park, takes in the town centre – with roads closed to traffic – residential areas and also the grounds of Shrewsbury School.
Everyone who enters will receive a bespoke medal and a newly-designed T-shirt.
Oliver Benbow, head of business at Hatfields, said the Shrewsbury-based company is delighted to be involved.
He added: "Hatfields are extremely proud to be the title sponsor of this year’s Shrewsbury Running Festival.
“It is such a prominent event in the calendar that we leapt at the chance to work with Simon and the team.
"It has been such a hard and challenging time for everyone and to be given the opportunity to help keep the event the success that it is means a huge amount to us.
“Running is so important for many people’s mental health, so ensuring the Running Festival takes place in 2021 is vital, so that people can start thinking about getting back to normality and enjoy doing the things they love the most.
"We really are excited about the event and look forward to seeing the hundreds of runners that are going to take part over the weekend.”
For details, including how to enter, visit the Shrewsbury 10K website.
