Distanced race series for Feeding the 5,000 starts this weekend

Dursley Church and Running Club are working together to create a fundraising physical distancing race series.

Prue Vernon is a member of St Giles’ Church Uley and came up with the idea to hold the run to raise money for the Feed the 5,000 Project, St Giles’ Church, Uley and Dursley Running Club.

Prue said, “Right now, getting outside, exercising and feeling part of the community are more important than ever for our mental and physical wellbeing. So to give you the chance to do all these things, we’re organising the Gloucestershire Social Distancing Race Series in aid of Feeding the 5,000 and Uley Church, with the support of Dursley Running Club.

“I shall be taking part in the walk section of the run –I can walk for miles but not run!  My son, Charlie, who works for ‘Let’s Do This’ who are organising the virtual computer aspects of the run told me about this new idea they were marketing back in April.   I thought it sounded a good idea to try and do some fundraising.  We discussed it at a PCC fundraising meeting – one of our PCC members is a keen runner, Canon Michael is enthusiastic, and we agreed to go ahead with this.   I guess most of our benefice think I am bonkers but they probably all have younger relations and next door neighbours and one of them is doing some running themselves.”

The runs (or walks if you prefer) will be held on the first weekends of June, July and August.

Unlike physical events, with a virtual event, you can complete your run wherever you choose, and in your own time. Record your run with a GPS watch or running app, and upload your result to see how you got on against others.

The first race is on 8-9 June – you can sign up here —>

Complete your selected race within 48 hours of the start of the event, and record it using a GPS watch or running app

After your race, go back to the sign-up page and submit your result, including a link to your uploaded activity (and a selfie!)

…then find your name in the finisher board, and await your personalised certificate.

The split of ticket sales is 20% Let’s Do This, 20% Dursley Running Club, 30% to Feeding the 5,000 and 30% Uley Church.