Brighton Heroes & Villains Run
Brighton Heroes Run returns for its 10th year with a new Villians Run, fundraising for Pass It On Africa
On Sunday 18th May 2014 Pass It On Africa will be celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the iconic Brighton event The Heroes Run. Since 2005, every May over 1,000 superheroes have been seen running along the Brighton and Hove seafront supporting the charity’s worthy causes in Africa. To mark this momentous occasion they are mixing things up a little by bringing the Villains to the party with the debut of the Villains Run! The concept is simple: you enter the race as normal and decide whether you wish to run as a hero or a villain. On race day, the two sides will line up next to each other for an epic race between good and evil!
“On race day, the two sides will line up for an epic race between good and evil!”
“Superheroes are great, but I think everybody loves a good “baddie”. Adding the villains factor has certainly spiked interest in the run and we have already seen a high volume of entries who have chosen to embrace the dark side,”says charity co-founder Matt Lambert.
You don’t have to be an athlete to take part, so the event is a fantastic opportunity for all the family to get involved. As well as the 5k and 10k distances for the grown up Wonder Women and Lex Luthers among you, there is also the ever-popular Kids 500m Dash and, new to this year, a Youth Mile race. Every runner will receive a medal and there will be prizes for the best costumes in all categories. Outfits can be shop-bought or homemade, but best to think of the practicalities of running in it before getting too carried away with the design! If you work in an office and are looking for an idea for a team away day, enter as a group. It’s a fantastic excuse for team bonding in underpants and a little good-humoured rivalry, while raising money for a good cause.
Pass It On Africa was set up in 2004 when Matt and James, fellow co-founder, heard of a small school in Nairobi, Kenya, where few of the children had shoes and many had to walk miles every day to get to and from school. The dynamic duo decided to run the Dublin Marathon, dressed as Batman and Robin to raise money to buy shoes for all the children. Shortly after, they carried a rowing machine to the top of Mount Snowdon and rowed a marathon before coming back down. Since then, the charity has grown rapidly starting with the Heroes Run in Brighton, and buying shoes has evolved into assisting the build and expansion of three educational facilities in Kenya, Ghana and The Gambia respectively, ensuring that thousands of children have and will continue to have the chance of an education. Participants are being challenged to help meet this target by raising just £20 each in sponsorship. The entrance fee covers all event and set up costs, so 100 per cent of sponsorship money raised will go to support the charity’s projects.
Over the years the race has also benefited 25 other charities including the Teenage Cancer Trust, Rise UK, the Terrence Higgins Trust and Right To Play by raising over £120,000 for these worthy causes.
Whether you wish to save the day as a hero or ruin the day as a villain, sign up for a fun day out, and at the same time help put a smile on the face of a child in Africa.
Brighton Heroes Run Vs Villains Run, Sunday 18 May 2014, www.heroesrun.org.uk,
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Twitter: heroesrun
