Put your best foot forward and sign up for a run
IF you are looking for a new challenge this year, then why not pledge to pound the pavements, run towards your first ever 10k, or even go the extra mile(s) with a marathon?
Whether you are a beginner or more of a seasoned athlete, there are plenty of running events across the Midlands to keep you fit and challenged this year.
This year, the town welcomes the return of the beloved Hinckley Colour Fun Run in aid of LOROS, while the popular Bosworth Half Marathon also makes a return.
There is also the Leicester Marathon to look forward to, as well as plenty of Tough Mudders and Beast events for the tough nuts.
If you are looking for a full schedule of events, then lace up your trainers and read on…
The Beast, Sun Feb 18 - Aylesford Farm, near Melton
Mowbray With 40 (ish) jumps to tackle, two water splashes to wake you up, camouflage netting to squeeze under, hills including the famous Nessie to climb up and stagger down, and three water wades, the question is - can you tame The Beast?
It’s a double or quit adventure trail event, with each lap being approximately five miles. Simply run one lap, then quit, or do another lap and complete the double.
The event begins at 11am, at Aylesford Equine X Country Course, Aylesford Farm, Shoby, Melton Mowbray.
It’s open to runners of all abilities, aged 18 or over on race day. The Beast and Ten Year Triple pre entry £35, The Beast on the day entry £40.
Leicester Town and Gown, Sun March 4 - Victoria Park,
Leicester Leicester Town and Gown is the newest 10k from Muscular Dystrophy UK, and is now in its second year.
The course is a three-loop route, incorporating both Victoria Park and the University of Leicester campus.
The run is chip-timed, marshalled throughout and you will be rewarded with a medal and a finisher’s tech t-shirt at the end.
The event begins at 10am at Victoria Park and is open to anyone over the age of 16. It costs £14 for UKA affiliated runners and £16 for unaffiliated runners.
LOROS Tower Run, Sun Mar 10 - St George’s Tower,
Leicester Take part in the biggest Tower Run event in the Midlands as hundreds race their way to top of Leicester’s tallest occupied building.
Your challenge is to run or walk your way up all 20 floors and 351 steps of St George’s Tower.
All finishers will receive a medal for their hard work as well as a glass of Prosecco to celebrate once they reach the finish on the top floor.
Start times are staggered between 10am and 1pm. All participants may enter for free, provided you pledge to raise £50 sponsorship in aid of LOROS Hospice.
Gung-Ho!, Sun Mar 17 - Victoria Park, Leicester Do the 5k and take on 10 of the greatest inflatable obstacles on the planet!
Gung-Ho! claims to have the world’s largest inflatable obstacle and Europe’s biggest ever inflatable slide as the finale.
There are waves every 15 minutes from 9am until 2pm. There is no age requirement but participants must be at least 123 centimetres/48 inches to tackle these monstrous obstacles.
Children under 11 must be accompanied through the course by a participating adult.
The sooner you book your place, the cheaper it is. You’ll get a wristband and race bib, and finishers will receive a Gung-Ho t-shirt and headband.
Coventry Half Marathon Thousands of people will pound the streets of the city of Coventry for the 13.1 mile route on Sunday March 18.
The 2017 event saw over 4,500 people take to the streets with 3,400 runners tackling the main half marathon route and over 1,200 children and supporters take part in the Dol-yMoch mile event in the city centre.
Visit http://coventryhalf. com for more details - entries open January 2018.
Leicester’s Big 10k, Sun, Apr 29 - Abbey Park, Leicester This beautiful and flat (hur- rah!) 10K takes place in Abbey Park, Leicester. The 2017 race had more than 1,000 runners choosing to take part in Leicester’s Big 10K - a mixture of those taking part in their first ever 10K race, and more experienced runners trying to beat their PBs.
For 2018 the race has a new charity partner – Living without Abuse. The minimum age to take part in the race is 15 years old. The event starts at 9.30am and entry costs £17 for running club members (affiliated) and £19 for non club members (non-affiliated).
Tough Mudder Full, Sat, May 12 - Belvoir Castle In the magnificent grounds of Belvoir Castle, rolling hills, natural creeks and serene lakes will be interrupted by thousands of Mudders taking on one of the toughest obstacle courses in the world!
The 10-mile course will feature more than 20 obstacles.
Entry is £99 each, and includes a headband, performance finisher tee, finisher pint and insurance. For more information, click here.
Tough Mudder Half, Sat, May 19, Sun, May 20 - Belvoir
Castle This course still has plenty of mud, but is just five miles long, and features 13 obstacles.
The brand new 2018 course is packed full of some of the best-loved obstacles guaranteed to test your teamwork.
Entry is £55 for Sat, £45 for Sun, and includes a headband, performance finisher tee, finisher pint and insurance.
Bosworth Half Marathon, Sunday May 13
Enjoy beautiful scenery and historic landmarks as you run, thanks to the popular Bosworth Half Marathon. For families or those looking for a slightly less exhausting challenge, there is also a one-mile event held for local charity, Keepthebeat, within Market Bosworth Water Park.
For more information, visit http:// www.bosworthhalf. com/
Inflatable 5k, Sat, June 2 - Leicester Racecourse Get ready to take on a 5k event with a difference - the difference being ten huge obstacles! Promising to be the most fun and extreme inflatable obstacle event ever created, this is 5k of running, jogging and walking, with 10 obstacles along the way. It’s suitable for all ages and abilities.
Participants do need to be at least 1.3m tall and under 16s must be accompanied by a paying adult.
It’s £25 to enter, with discounts for groups. At the finish line, everyone gets a medal and finisher’s gift.
Summer Wolf, Sat, June 2, and Sun, June 3 - Stanford
Hall Wild springs and dense woodland make this course both beautiful and challenging. Intricate trails, lakes and streams are combined with impressive man made structures to provide you with a tough full body work out.
The Summer Wolf has a festival feel with a large event village hosting a range of exhibitors - live bands, DJs, a wolf pack bar, food stalls and plenty of other entertainment for friends and family to enjoy.
Entry is not yet open for the event, but you can find out more information on the website.
Hinckley LOROS Colour Fun Run, June 6 2018 Back for its 5th year, the beloved LOROS Colourfun Mile will once again be showering fun runners in multi-coloured paint and happiness. Based in the centre of Hinckley (it starts in Argents Mead), this is one of the most popular town centre events of the year - and this time, there are even bubbles!
The run (or walk, skip or dance) is great fun for all ages LOROS will even supply you with a free white t-shirt for you to personalise before the day.
What’s more, if you raise £100 in aid of LOROS, you can get your entry fee back! Meanwhile, enter with a family ticket and you will get £10 back for every £100 raised.
Leicester Marathon and