The ninth annual Blythe Valley Park Charity Fun Run in Solihull built on the success of previous years as more than 350 people turned out to raise money for a great cause.
Organised by Shirley Lions, this year, all proceeds will go to Marie Curie Cancer Care’s Big Build Appeal, which aims to reach its £7 million target in order to complete a new palliative care centre for terminally ill adults, within the next 18 months.
The 10km race was won by Paul Little in a time of 37 minutes and 49 seconds while Karen Pardoe was the quickest woman to cover the 10k in 42 minutes and three seconds.
Adam Smyth was victorious in the 5km race (19:52) and Emma Cakebread (24:58) retained her women’s crown over that distance.
There were 354 entrants in total with prizes also being presented to the youngest competitor, seven-year-old Freya McCallum and the oldest competitor, 87-year-old Nicki Barter.
Kate Smith, of Liberty Trust UK, which develops and manages the Business Park, said: “It was fantastic to see such a great turn out for the event once again. It really has developed into a date that people from the local community look forward to and come out in force to be a part of. It is also nice to see so many people work together to make this event such a success. We would like to thank everyone that took part and particularly Shirley Lions Club, who helped us organise the event again.”
Ken Barker, from Shirley Lions, said: “It was another brilliant event with people from the local community coming together to enjoy themselves while helping a worthy cause. We are delighted to be able to contribute to such a worthwhile cause that we feel will have a huge impact in our community. Once again it was fantastic to be involved and hopefully we can build on this success next year as the race reaches its tenth anniversary.”
For full race results and times log onto fundraisingevents