School children to take part in Run Hackney half marathon

Left to right: Tracey Welsh (East End Community Foundation), Cllr Feryal Demirci and Will Savage (Cancer Research UK). Photograph: Anthony Upton

Primary school children have been given the chance to go the distance in Run Hackney, the borough’s first ever half marathon, due to get underway on Sunday 22 June.

But instead of running 13.1 miles all at once, the young runners taking part in the Schools Challenge will run a mile each week in the months leading up to the half marathon. They will then run the final stretch with their teachers on the day of the race.

Run Hackney spokesperson Jon Ridgeon said: “We’re proposing that these children will run the marathon, but in their own time. So they’ll run a mile a week depending on what they want, whether at home or at school.”

Orchard Primary is the first Hackney primary school to sign up, with other schools interested in taking part including Gayhurst Community College, Northwood Primary, Rushmore Primary, Springfield Community Primary and St Dominic’s Catholic School.

Around 4,800 runners have already pledged to take part in Run Hackney, which aims to raise money for East End Community Foundation and Cancer Research UK.

See www.runhackney.com/schools-challenge/ for details.