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Thousands run through London in first mass 10k since lockdown was lifted

Thousands of runners have taken to the streets of London for their first mass 10k since lockdown restrictions were lifted.

Roads across central London were closed as the runners in the Asics London 10k swept past views of landmarks to the sound of cheering crowds and entertainers who lined the streets.

Race director Ian Allerton described it as “an important day for the mass participation industry” as many runners helped raise funds for more than 200 charities in what he hoped would be the start of “a new season of safe running events in 2021”.

TV presenter and activist Katie Piper who was the victim of an acid attack in 2008, officially started the race before stepping out to become one of up to 14,000 runners on the course.

Her run was to raise funds for a rehabilitation centre and she later said she had “such an amazing day”.

Ms Piper said it had been “really powerful” to see the benefit the race had on her mental wellbeing and on others who took part.

Organisers said they have been working closely with Westminster City Council and Public Health England over the past six months to ensure the event was Covid-secure.

The annual mass participation event, which was billed as “London’s best summer celebration of running,” was previously cancelled due to the pandemic.

The 2021 route was brought to life by the sounds of live bands and DJs at every 1km to help the runners keep moving as they raced past landmarks such as Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the London Eye.

Andrew Heyes won the male race with a time of 29 minutes and 25 seconds, Natasha Cockram clocked 33 minutes and 37 seconds to cross the line first in the female run while Bethany Evans was victorious in the wheelchair event with a time of 40 minutes and 42 seconds.

Mr Heyes said: “I really enjoyed the sights and am so excited to be back after 18 months.”

Ms Cockram added: “It was brilliant being back out on the road. Since the pandemic I’ve only been able to train on the track.

“Being out on the big wide roads is so exciting, I want to do it again.”

The event came a day after thousands of adult joggers and walkers in England laced up their trainers to take part in 5km Parkruns in local parks for the first time since lockdown eased.

ASICS London 10K will return in July

The ASICS London 10K will return to London on Sunday, July 25 this year, in what organisers say is the largest closed road running event since the pandemic began in March 2020.

14,000 registered runners will be able to take part in the event, which is also part of a global study into the effect of movement and running on wellbeing.

The race will begin in Piccadilly, taking in famous Westminster locations like St James’s Palace, Trafalgar Square, the Victoria Embankment and Big Ben, before finishing in Whitehall, with live bands and DJs en route.The ASICS London 10K will return to London on Sunday, July 25 this year, in what organisers say is the largest closed road running event since the pandemic began in March 2020.

14,000 registered runners will be able to take part in the event, which is also part of a global study into the effect of movement and running on wellbeing.

The race will begin in Piccadilly, taking in famous Westminster locations like St James’s Palace, Trafalgar Square, the Victoria Embankment and Big Ben, before finishing in Whitehall, with live bands and DJs en route.

James Robinson, Managing Director of Limelight Sports Club, which is producing the event, said: ‘It’s been a challenging 16 months, but community and running has played such an integral role with regards to people’s mental and physical health. We can’t wait to see runners back on the start line of the ASICS London 10K on 25th July.’

Everyone taking part in the ASICS London 10K will be invited to take part in a study into the effect of movement on mental wellbeing via the Mind Uplifter, a tool developed by ASICS, movement and mental health expert Dr Brendon Stubbs and technology agency Solarflare Studio. Using facial scanning technology and data collection from athletes themselves, ASICS says the tool can ‘capture the impact of different sports across 10 emotional and cognitive metrics, showing how they impact mood and brain function.’

ASICS recently launched its State of Mind Index, a survey which asked more than 6,000 people across 40 English counties to rate their mental state. The Index, produced in partnership with mental health charity Mind, revealed that London’s current mood is a rather low 59 out of 100, with 76% of respondents admitting to wanting an ‘uplift’.

Dr Stubbs, who lectures at King’s College London, said of the State of Mind Index: ‘At a time where we are turning a corner with a more positive outlook, the nation is still currently apprehensive, and this is reflected in our general mental wellbeing. The nation is clearly in need of an uplift and the summer of sport ahead has the power to give us all the boost we need.’

With tens of thousands of runners due to take part in the race, ASICS has put a number of measures in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. These include a requirement to complete a health declaration before the event, proof of a negative lateral flow test, allocated arrival times, and an extended open period for the race start line.

JUST Water cartons will replace 19,000 plastic botles at London´s Asics 10K race

Taking place this weekend, the Virgin Sport ASICS London 10K race (organized by Richard Branson’s Virgin Sport company) will be plastic-bottle free thanks to a new partnership with JUST Water—a sustainable water brand owned by father-and-son team Jaden and Will Smith.

In lieu of 19,000 plastic bottles, runners will receive cartons of JUST water at the finish line this year. During the race, all aid stations will be equipped with recyclable cups, eliminating the use of 40,000 plastic bottles.

In addition to this weekend’s race, Virgin Sport aims to eliminate all plastic bottles—approximately 500,000—from its events this year.

“JUST is incredibly proud to join efforts alongside Virgin Sport at the ASICS London 10K to reduce plastic at the event,” the water company said in a statement.

“Together, we aim to inspire and show that a small change, such as changing your bottled water to a more sustainable option, is something we all can do to create a positive impact on our planet.”

Jaden Smith was only 12 years old when he launched the brand with his father and has been a prominent advocate for providing those in need access to clean water, including in Flint, MI where he installed a JUST mobile water filtration system this year to aid with the water crisis in the region.

On his 21st birthday earlier this month, Jaden Smith debuted the first pop-up of his I Love You Restaurant on Skid Row in Los Angeles, a food truck serving vegan food to people experiencing homelessness—the first of many, according to the young activist.

Lee Lucas, 41, was diagnosed with stage three throat cancer in November 2016 and devastated to learn the disease had spread to his tongue and the lymph nodes in his neck, now he is preparing to run his first Asics 10k

"I started treatment shortly after my diagnosis and it was one of the most harrowing things I have endured to date. I was unable to eat for six months and lost the ability to speak for a period during my treatment."

Lee's wife, Heather, had heard about the Hunts Community Cancer Network (HCCN) and decided to contact them to see if they could offer Lee any support.

HCCN is made up of specialist nursing staff who work with people from the point of diagnosis, through their treatment, providing support to enable them to take back control of their lives. HCCN also has a charity arm that works to provide resources and equipment for people.

"My wife contacted the team and the nurses came to visit within a few days," said Lee.

"Immediately they gave me advice about the medication I was taking, talked about helping me recover both physically and mentally. They visited me regularly helping with prescriptions, looking at solutions for the continuing side effects I was facing. "For a time during my recovery I was unable to get out of bed. Having the HCCN nurses available to visit was invaluable. Nothing we asked was ever too much for them, and they were always there to help. Their support has continued long past my all clear two years ago and still does to this day. Without HCCN my cancer journey would have been much harder, and I am eternally grateful for their help and support."

Lee is now determined to raise as much money as he can for HCCN and has signed up for the Asics London 10k on July 21. He will be joined by Heather and HCCN lead nurse Karen Moseley.

Lee said: "HCCN is an amazing and incredibly worthwhile charity and I am doing this not just to say 'thank you' but to ensure the invaluable work of the team can continue to help other cancer sufferers. It might not seem like a huge distance, but it will be huge to me.

"My treatment has left me with a chronic dry mouth and I cannot leave the house without a bottle of water in my hand as my mouth dries up within minutes. So running 10k with my condition will be a challenge, but I'm determined to do it. I'm hoping there will be lots of water stations and toilets on the route."

HCCN lead nurse Karen said: "On a daily basis, I meet patients who are going through such difficult times. These people always amaze me with how strong they are. Truthfully, when I started the job I didn't do much exercise myself, but we are always promoting the importance of exercise for people with cancer as we know it has an impact on effectiveness of treatment and their emotional and physical well-being.

A mum of five is taking on a charity run to raise funds to send a UK doctor to an American conference focussing on the genetic condition affecting her son

Lisa Smith is part of the eight-strong Childhood Tumour Trust (CTT) team taking on the ASICS London 10k in July, seeking to raise £4,000 ($5,000US) to send a doctor from the UK to the Neurofibromatosis conference in the USA for specialist training.

Lisa’s eldest son Daniel Barnes (12) suffers from the condition – known as NF1 – which has caused growths on his brain and skin and may cause them along his nerves too. The disease can also lead to problems with the bones, eyes and nervous system.

It was several years before Daniel was diagnosed and further complications meant he also developed Hydrocephalus – too much fluid on the brain – and had to undergo life-saving surgery to have a shunt valve fitted to drain the excess away.

Daniel has since undergone numerous life-saving brain operations and replacement shunt procedures and although he is currently stable, Lisa says he will be shunt-dependent for the rest of his life.

“Daniel was six when he was finally diagnosed, after we’d be back and forwards to the doctors and health visitors numerous times.

“He had all the signs including birth marks on his skin but I was told this was just pigmentation.

“NF1 is the most common unheard of genetic disorder and affects a lot of children in lots of different ways. If Daniel had undergone an MRI scan sooner it might have been picked up more quickly.

“There is such a huge gap in the diagnostic knowledge, so many children are missed off the radar, that’s why we want to raise the funds to send a UK doctor to a specialist conference in America where there is much greater knowledge about it.”

“It’s hard, he’s such a lovely, lovely boy, but he suffers memory loss, fatigue and gets exhausted quite easily and he just finds everything very difficult, although he always tries his hardest,” she added.  

“We just want to help raise awareness about it.”