Lace up your running shoes for the Pawson Rotherham 10K Run

Dozens of runners will once again lace up their running shoes in Clifton Park next year and for the first time will also make their way through Rotherham town centre.

More than 100 people took part in the first-ever Age UK Love Later Life Run in May but organisers, including the Advertiser, have been working hard to ensure the 2018 edition will be bigger and better.

Together with the charity, Rotherham Harriers and inspirational marathon man Ray Matthews, next year’s race will see runners complete a 10K course, thanks to sponsorship from Pawson Transport.

It will be held on Sunday, May 6 — with a start time yet to be finalised — and see runners make their way out of the park.

But the only way we can make the event a success is if YOU once again answer our rallying call and help celebrate our fantastic borough.

Ray, who raised more than £30,000 for Newman School by completing 75 marathons last year, said: “We want to bring Rotherham together a bit more and the idea is to extend the event and get more people involved.

“Everything as far as we are concerned is go and it’ll be great to be able to take the race into the town centre.

“We can’t thank Pawson enough for their help and it’s just a case of crossing Ts and dotting the Is.”

Runners will start in Clifton Park before making their way down Wharncliffe Street, onto Drummond Street, left onto Effingham Street, Frederick Street, Corporation Street, Market Place before heading along Westgate and out to Canklow.

The return route will include Market Street, Church Street, pass Rotherham Minster, through All Saints’ Square and out towards Herringthorpe Stadium and back to Clifton Park along Middle Lane.

Julie Benson, Age UK Rotherham’s fundraising development officer, said this year’s event raised more than £1,000 for the charity.

She said: “We want to build it into an annual event and, while we might be a town, we want to offer what other towns do — an annual run.”

Steve Pawson, managing director of Pawson Group, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Ray Matthews and Age UK Rotherham in their inaugural 10K Rotherham race.

“The Pawson Rotherham 10K Run promises to be a great sporting event for all the family and we are proud to be involved and to be supporting great causes in our home town, Rotherham.”

May’s event saw runners from athletics clubs across the area run alongside amateurs, including deputy news editor Sam Cooper and colleagues Chaz Graves and Dave Doyle.

Going off the success of this year’s event, you don’t want to miss it again.

For more information or if you would like to enter visit www.ageuk.org.uk/rotherham or email [email protected].