Member Event: Beat the post Olympic blues by supporting a unique Norfolk sporting event

With the nation suffering from post-Olympic blues and missing the highs of cheering on the UK’s sporting stars, Norfolk residents are being encouraged to maintain their sporting fever into September and to support the athletes taking part in a challenging and unique event on their doorstep.

The Birketts’ Round Norfolk Relay is an annual demanding team relay race around Norfolk, covering 197 miles in 24 hours. This year’s event starts on Saturday 15 September and will see over one thousand runners race through the night into Sunday morning, passing the baton at each leg of the route which mirrors Norfolk’s county borders.

Pete Goddard, partner at event sponsors Birketts LLP and Round Norfolk Relay participant, said: “The Birketts’ Round Norfolk Relay has become a notorious event in the British Athletics Calendar and it attracts top runners from across the UK. and further afield. The beauty of this event is that for many people in Norfolk the runners will literally race past their doorstep. With a nation inspired by Team GB’s sporting stars we hope that this year we will be able to attract even more supporters.

“I can speak from personal experience when I say that spectators cheering us on can really make a huge difference to each relay runner. It can make or break how fast each leg of the race is completed and impact on the final results and winners.”

The event, which was originally founded in 1987, has itself received backing from Olympic heroes with guests of honour including the likes of Dame Kelly Holmes and former European and Commonwealth marathon champion Ron Hill who was the celebrity guest for last year’s 25th anniversary event.

Explaining more about the event, Race Director Paul Sullivan said: “This event is truly unique as it is the only continuous, long-distance relay in the UK athletics calendar. It is the ultimate runners’ club challenge as it requires a high degree of commitment, endurance, team spirit and hard work. It’s also just as much an organisational challenge as it is run over 24 hours without a break and needs special preparation, planning and support.

“This year we have over 60 teams taking part from clubs including City of Norwich AC, The Stragglers and the Birketts’ Runners Athletics Club made up of team members from our event sponsors Birketts. We would especially encourage spectators along the pretty coastal routes which are run during daylight hours.”

The award-winning Birketts’ Round Norfolk Relay will follow on from the Tour of Britain leg around East Anglia on 9 September, providing plenty of opportunities for people in the county to maintain the sporting enthusiasm.

Starting and finishing in Kings Lynn, each runner in a 17 strong team will run one stage of the race, with each stage varying between 5 to 20 miles. The route will take the participants through Hunstanton along the coastline to Cromer and then back through the roads to Great Yarmouth by which stage night has usually fallen. The runners then race through Breckland and across the Fens to follow the Great Ouse River back into Kings Lynn. Paul Sullivan added: “There is an additional opportunity for runners, teams, supporters and helpers to get involved this year as we have launched a prize-winning photo competition to encourage participants to capture images of this unique event. With the runners racing their way along Norfolk’s vast sandy beaches, open spaces and picturesque towns and villages there will be plenty of opportunities to capture some stunning images of the event. This year the competition categories are ‘Running in the Dark’ and ‘Jubilation & Celebration’ as well as an Open class.”

More information about the photography competition and the event route can be found at www.roundnorfolkrelay.com