Charity runners gather on Ipswich Waterfront for the Great East Run 2018 Launch event.
A group of runners, councillors and charity fundraisers gathered at Ipswich Waterfront today to launch this year’s Simplyhealth Great East Run,a half marathon which will return to Ipswich on Sunday September 16th. The event will see 3,500 runners take on the 13.1 mile challenge.
2017 saw charity runners in the inaugural Great East Run raise a massive £1 million for charitable causes. A quarter of those taking part in the half marathon event opted to raise money for charity, benefitting good causes across Suffolk and beyond.
I was asked to photograph the Great East Run 2018 launch event on what turned out to be a beautiful, crisp and sunny winter morning. The runners featured in the photo above are L-R Clare Jackson, Ruth Coomber, Giles Marcow, Rob Harvey and Daryl Simpson.
Runners at Great East Run 2018 Launch included 50-year-old Giles Macrow (in the red shirt) from Newmarket, who has lost 11 stone since 2016 after taking up running to combat his depression and poor health.
Ruth Coomber, (in the Pink Shirt) from Needham Market, also took on her very first half marathon at the Simplyhealth Great East Run last year.
Ruth was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and was left feeling mentally and physically drained following rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Following her treatment, she signed up for event last year as part of the council’s Outreach Programme as a complete novice, hoping to complete a challenge by the end of the year.
Over ten charities have already agreed to be a part of the event this year, including Cancer Research UK, the Stroke Association, East Anglia Children’s Hospices and Unique.
The event will start and finish in Ipswich town centre and follow the same popular route as last year, with participants heading out from Russell Road and passing the prestigious Willis building in Ipswich city centre, before heading towards the town’s waterfront.
The route then goes past Felaw Maltings on the way out and back along Wherstead Road, where participants will twice pass under the Orwell Bridge.
On returning to Ipswich town centre, runners will pass over the Wet Dock lock gates and continue along the waterfront for a second time before crossing the finish line in Ipswich Town FC’s complex.
I was fortunate enough to be one of the official photographers at the inaugural event last year , and I can tell you the event was inspirational. The participants obviously enjoyed the amazing atmosphere and scenic route, and I would thoroughly recommend you give it a go! Demand for the 2018 event has been extremely high, with less than 1,000 places remaining, so hurry and sign up if you fancy taking part in one of East Anglia’s major mass participation sporting events!
To sign up for the Simplyhealth Great East Run, go to www. greatrun.org/east
