Run Leicester Festival is cancelled... so why not Run The World instead?

This year's Run Leicester Festival has been cancelled... but participants are bring encouraged to sign up for a virtual event.

The festival, previously known as the Leicester Marathon, was due to take place on October 11.

However, it will not go ahead due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Run Leicester Festival, an event designed to reinvigorate the traditional Leicester marathon, with both races and entertainment for runners and spectators, was due to celebrate its first year in the city, and had already amassed hundreds of hopeful participants.

Race Director, Andrew Ward, said: “The second Leicester lock down has led to renewed uncertainty, and we no longer feel it’s realistic to expect the event to go ahead this autumn.

"Whilst there has been much discussion on initiatives that could be introduced, there are none we feel go far enough to guarantee the safety of our runners and our city, which remains our priority.”

In a bid to bring the Leicester running community together, and raise funds for main charity partner LOROS Hospice, runners are being encouraged to sign up to a new virtual event, Run The World.

Run the World is a new challenge that will see runners in Leicestershire and beyond come together to collectively run the tens of thousands of miles ‘around the world.’

Using running technology, Garmin and Strava, runners will be able to closely monitor their personal and collective progress live on an interactive map, unlock rewards and take part in themed runs, as the Run the World team progress from country to country.

Mr Ward continued: “Right from the get go, the Run Leicester team have been adamant that even if the event was unable to go ahead, we would still give the Leicester running community something to look forward to.

"Runners have been hit hard by lockdown, with races all over the country cancelled, and this in turn has meant charities have seen a great loss in sponsorship income.

“It’s our hope that everyone will be eager to join forces and come together to Run the World with us in this fantastic team effort.”

Entries for the first ever Run the World are open now and cost just £15.

To register for Run The World or to find out more about the cancellation and what it means for your race entry visit www.runleicester.co.uk