The Asda Foundation City of Lincoln 10K was staged for the 21st time on Sunday and the annual event is as popular as ever among the local running fraternity as thousands took part in a race which has been given a five-star certification rating by European Athletics Running for All.
The event took place in glorious spring sunshine and attracted runners with ambitions of chasing fast times and achieving personal targets to runners taking part first and foremost to raise money for charity and not-for-profit causes, including 94-year-old Elsie Ellingworth.
Ellington was the only entrant in this year’s race and after assisting with the official race starting duties, Elsie tied up her trainers and completed the course in 1:28:53 to raise funds for Age UK.
Truly Run For All ... one of our pictures of the day. 94-years-young Elsie with her well-deserved medal. #lincoln10k pic.twitter.com/sli81MHDpD
— Run For All (@runforall) April 2, 2017
Other participants included race regular Gladys Tingle, who raised thousands for the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance. At 86, Gladys still runs each day and took on the 10km course once again on Sunday. The UK’s No.1 ranked visually impaired athlete Rebecca Brightmore put in a great performance, finishing in 54:13.
Around 5500 runners took part in this year’s race and first to cross the finish-line which was positioned outside Lincoln Cathedral were Joe Wilkinson (30:23) and Claire Martin (35:10).
“Once more the City of Lincoln 10K was a huge success – and a great opener to the 2017 Asda Foundation 10K Series. Every single participant is to be congratulated on an amazing job. Well done everyone!” said Asda Foundation Senior Manager Julie Ward.
The event started in earnest on the Saturday with the Arena Group Lincoln Mini and Junior Run. Many youngsters were raising money for KIDS Strut which helps disabled children and their families.
The European Athletics Quality Road Race standards act as an assurance for road runners throughout Europe. They distinguish between races that respect the standards and those that haven’t sought certification or assessment. They form the foundation of Running for All, a strong recognisable brand for running activities throughout Europe.
More information on Running for All:
Website: european-running4all.org
Twitter: @runningforall
Contact: [email protected]