Thank you to all those who have entered the Centra Run Together Derry event which takes place on Wednesday 22^nd June in partnership with Action Cancer . We appreciate your support.

See below updated information on the event which will hopefully answer any questions you may have.

Venue – Strand Road Quay Walkway close to the Quayside Shopping Centre, off Strand Road , BT48 7AS.

Event Start Time – 7pm.

Event briefing – 6.50pm.

Start / Finish location – The Start / Finish will be on Strand Road Quay Walkway close to the Quayside Shopping Centre, off Strand Road , BT48 7AS. The Start Line / Finish line will be close to the KFC outlet .

Registration – Registration is open from 5.30pm – 6.45pm. It will take place in the Centra gazebo which will be located close to the Start / Finish line. At registration you will receive your running numbers and pins, your t shirt and your goody bag. Please do not arrive at the last minute to register as it will delay the start of the event or you may miss the start.

The Route – the 5km route starts on the Quay Walkway , close to the KFC outlet , and follows along the riverside, goes over the Peace Bridge, along the riverside into St Columb’s Park . There is a dead turn around point in the Park and you then take the reverse route back to the finish. The Start and Finish are at the same location. The route is relatively flat across the 5km route. The route will be fully marshalled and signed.

Toilets and Changing – Toilets will be available at the Start / Finish line.

Bags and Valuables – unfortunately we are not able to provide a facility to store bags / valuables.

Car Parking – We understand that normal Car Parking will be available in the Quayside Shopping Park. Please read any signs re car parking regulations in respect of permitted parking durations as we cannot be held responsibility for any parking fines issued to Run Together participants.

Water – Water will be available at the Finish line.

Entertainment – There will be Face Painting available beside the Centra gazebo.

Medals – we have designed a unique 2 part medal which will be awarded to each pair of runners as they finish.

Timing – There will be a timing clock at the Finish Line but we will not be recording finishing times. The nature of the event is to encourage participants to run with their partner and for them to work together, either to run a fast time together or simply to complete the personal challenge of running the 5km. Anyone who is running with a partner who is under 12 years old must stay with them on the run.

On Day Entries – If you have any friends interested in entering on the day you can inform them that we will have a limited number of spaces available. They will incur a £1 surcharge which will go directly to Action Cancer. Please ask them to come to Registration early to ensure they can enter the event.

Sponsorship Monies – if you have raised any sponsorship monies please hand them directly to the Action Cancer staff who will be located in the Action Cancer gazebo.

If you have any queries please email Johnny@pioneer-group.co.uk or call 07768 103968.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday and thank you once again for your support!

Centra Launches series of 5k fun runs for Action Cancer

LEADING convenience retailer Centra has developed a new series of fun runs to feed the recent upsurge in ‘social runners’ in Northern Ireland whilst raising funds for a local charity.

Run Together is a set of four 5k races taking place across Belfast, Mid Ulster and Derry between June and October which encourage you to run with your partner, son, daughter, friend or neighbour to raise money for Action Cancer.

Social running is currently the biggest exercise craze in Northern Ireland and with these community events, Centra is aiming to appeal to the complete spectrum of runners from club runners to Park Runners and Couch to 5k runners to newcomers.

The first event will take place on Sunday 5th June at Ormeau Park, Belfast with a second race at the Quay walkway, Derry~Londonderry on Wednesday 22nd June. A third event will take place in Mid Ulster in September and the finale of the series will be in Belfast in October.

Local athlete Kelly Neely, World Masters 800m champion, who recently sprinted home to win the 800m Gold at the European Indoor Master Championships, launched Centra Run Together with the help of her husband Ian and daughter Sarah.

“It’s fantastic to see the recent upsurge in participants in the ParkRun and Couch to 5k as well as the emergence of new community based running clubs in Northern Ireland,” said Kelly.

“Centra Run Together will provide a fantastic opportunity for this new audience of runners to capitalise on their training sessions in the ParkRuns and have a bit of fun competing, with friends and family not just cheering them on but actually running with them!” she added.

Centra Marketing Director Michelle Fennell said: “With the launch of Centra Run Together, we are aiming to promote healthy lifestyles and encourage physical and mental wellbeing throughout communities in Northern Ireland.

“The series of runs will provide a novel way for you and your ‘running mate’, whether that’s your brother, cousin, daughter or schoolfriend, to get involved in a local community event, help raise funds for Action Cancer and hopefully have a lot of fun!” she added.

Gillian Thomson, Corporate Fundraising Officer for charity partner Action Cancer said: “Centra Run Together is a great new concept to encourage people to team up and raise funds for those affected by cancer. Cancer touches so many people from all walks of life and all profits and sponsorship money from this event will go towards helping families throughout Northern Ireland by delivery life-saving services right to their doorstep.

“I would encourage anyone whether you’re a seasoned runner or looking to get fit, to run for a reason and help raise vital funds for Action Cancer”, she added.

For further information and registration details for the inaugural Run Together event in Belfast on June 5th visit www.facebook.com/CentraNI or log onto www.centra.co.uk/runtogether

Centra is a leading convenience brand in Northern Ireland for retailers who want a convenient range of fresh, local products. Core to the Centra philosophy is building vibrant communities. Centra stores throughout the province are owned and managed by independent retailers who are committed to supporting towns and villages in which they live and operate.  This is why, every year, we sell in excess of £96 million worth of products from Northern Ireland in our stores.

Run Together T’s & C’s:

Participants must enter each race as a pair.
Entry costs £24 for a team of two adults (16 and over), £20 for an adult and child (under 16) and £16 for a team of two under 16s.
In the event of any participant under the age of 12 taking part they must be accompanied by an adult or be under parental or guardian supervision.
Participants will receive a T-shirt and goody bag and those completing the race will receive a bespoke medal.
All profits and 100% of sponsorship money from the event will go to Action Cancer.
Full terms and conditions can be found on www.centra.co.uk/runtogether