A top turnout for the 10k
The eighth Manches Moor Park 10k has been universally declared the best yet with a record turnout of runners on a glorious afternoon in September raising a record amount for the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre.
With gloomy economic reports in the press and mutterings about the ‘credit crunch’, it was with some anxiety that the Appeals team set about the task of organising this year’s 10k race.
Were the entry fees too high in these difficult times? Would anyone be prepared to ask their friends to sponsor them? Plus the ultimate question – what would the weather be like?
An article in the media had described running as the ‘credit crunch answer to gym membership’ and we crossed our fingers that this was true.
This year we also set up a facility to enable runners to enter online and became cautiously optimistic as, each week, we tracked the growing number of entrants.
Online entry was clearly a very popular move as the majority of runners used this method of entry.
The added bonus was that the Appeals team’s office was relatively clear of paperwork during the run up to the event, freeing staff up to get on with other aspects of the preparations.
At the same time as runners were entering, many were also seeking sponsorship for their participation. With more runners than ever using the online Justgiving service, we were also able to track the progress of their fundraising.
With positive responses to our initial concerns, all that remained was to pray for good weather.
As well as gaining a reputation for first class organisation, the Moor Park 10k has also gained a reputation for its fine weather and 2009 was no exception.
The fine weather brought hundreds of spectators and supporters and there was a great atmosphere with children enjoying the fun fair and bouncy castles, the tombola doing good business and ice cream cones providing cooling refreshment.
The fine weather also attracted many more people to take part with another 300 runners turning up on the day, bringing the total number of runners in the main 10k race to 840 – the biggest field to date.
The large number of runners has also produced the biggest fundraising total for the event. At the time of going to press, we’ve already received more than £40,000 and more cheques are arriving daily.
Thank you to the army of people who contributed to the day and helped to make it such a huge success.
We hope you enjoyed being a part of the event and that we’ll see you at Merchant Taylors’ School next year on Sunday 26th September.
Last updated: 13 April, 2012
View the results and find out who our top fundraisers are at: www.moorpark10k.org.uk
This article first appeared in the Autumn 2009 issue of the LJMC newsletter, Open Door.