Bright and very early last Friday morning, 650 people took to the streets of Brighton for the Run 5:30.
We all know that Brighton is a busy, lively city, especially during the summer months. Walking, let alone running through the centre of town is a real challenge due to the amount of people.
But if you were given the chance to do a lovely 5k run through the deserted streets of central Brighton, on a beautiful summer morning, you would certainly take the opportunity, wouldn’t you?
Last Friday saw just such a run, with the fantastic Run 5:30 taking place at 5.30am (hence the name), beginning on New Road near the Theatre Royal in Brighton city centre, through to the seafront, then back past the Pavilion to the finish line.
These 5:30 Run events take place all over the world, with the aim of being a non-competitive run or walk in the heart of city centres starting at 5.30am. They aim to promote a healthy lifestyle through exercise in the areas where people live and work.
And the beauty of these events is that participants can discover their city in a unique atmosphere at close to sunrise with no traffic, the chance to smell the clean air from their surroundings and run through areas that aren’t usually as quiet.
At this year’s Brighton run 650 people took part, all of whom had donated to Rockinghorse as part of their registration fee and in return they all received a running t-shirt, medal, water, and some fresh fruit at the end of the run.
This year the first person to finish was Mark who completed his run in 20 minutes 52 seconds, although it’s not really a competitive race, rather a great community event with lots of very happy runners!
Amanda Hetherington, Head of Fundraising and Partnerships at Rockinghorse, was at the event cheering on her husband Kev who was taking part in the run. She said, “Run 5:30 is such an amazing event and we are so grateful that they have chosen to support Rockinghorse.
“Being able to experience our beautiful city first thing in the morning when it’s quiet and empty is a really magical experience and we could see how much all the people taking part enjoyed it too. We want to say a huge thanks to the organisers and to everyone who took part and supported us – see you next year bright and early!”
If you would like to take part in a fun, community event and help support Rockinghorse at the same time, just take a look at our events page here – we have lots of different events that you can sign up for.
