We were blown away by the Leeds 10K 15 year anniversary

4 July 2022

Yesterday was the big day: the 15^th anniversary of the Leeds 10K. We are simply blown away by what a fantastic event this was.

First and foremost, we want to say a huge thank you to all the runners who took part this year. Whether you’re a fun runner, club runner, charity runner, or whatever else, and no matter your goal or reason for taking part, we thank you for coming out and celebrating 15 years with us!

One of the most incredible parts of this event was the special appearance of Rob Burrow MBE, joined by his former teammate Kevin Sinfield OBE. These two former Leeds Rhinos players are absolute legends in Yorkshire and took part as part of the Run with the Rhinos team. It was so moving to see Kevin push Rob around the 10K route in a specially adapted running chair provided by Leeds Beckett University. They finished in 39^th place – an absolutely incredible feat. It’s a privilege to have them come and take part.

Rob and Kevin weren’t the only Leeds Rhinos players in attendance. Former player Jamie Jones Buchanan and head coach Rohan Smith were there too. Declan Jenkinson, captain of the Leeds Rhinos Learning Disabilities Super League was also there, running his third consecutive Leeds 10K.

Other amazing athletes included paralympians Hannah Cockroft, Nathan Macguire, and Sammi Kinghorn, as well as the legendary boxer Josh Warrington.

The start of the race also saw runners take part in a one-minute applause for BBC legend Harry Gration, who passed away in June at the age of 71. Harry was a big supporter of the Leeds 10K and the Jane Tomlinson Appeal, taking part many times (here he is at the Yorkshire Marathon in 2013) and inspiring others to raise money for charity over the event’s 15-year history.

Our incredible partner charities include Jane Tomlinson Appeal, Candlelighters, Macmillan Cancer Support, St George’s Crypt, Mind Leeds, and Leeds Hospital Charities.

Thank you sponsors! Leeds City Council, University of Leeds, Clarion, BBC Radio Leeds, Active Leeds, Coopah, GoPuff, Water In A Box, Shokz, the Yorkshire Society, Up and Running, High 5, Arla Protein, and Marathon Photos.

And we couldn’t do it without our volunteers! We had fantastic help from St Matthew’s Scouts, Leeds University Scout and Guide Association, Priesthorpe School, and volunteers from our partner charities.

Of course, we also need to thank our hardworking pacers from Northern Pacing Volunteers. Thank you so much for giving your time and energy to make this race amazing.

Clarion have been our Corporate Challenge sponsor since day 1 of the Leeds 10K, 15 years ago. We want to say a huge thank you to Clarion for helping create this popular race within a race, which is always a brilliant opportunity for colleagues to bond with each other while getting active in Leeds. We couldn’t do it without you.

We would also like to thank BBC Radio Leeds for taking part as our media partner. Our start line presenter, Paul Griffiths, from the BBC did a fantastic job. We also want to say a special thank you to Jon Hammond, who was our finish line presenter and has been for the past 15 years!

Thank you to all the people of Leeds and those who travelled to come spectate! Of course, without the crowds cheering from the sidelines, we simply couldn’t create the supportive and electric Run For All atmosphere we all know and love. To everyone who came and watched – thank you so much!

We were also so excited to launch a brand new route, showing off all the very best sights of Leeds, and our runners all seemed to love it just as much as we do! The hill at the end adds a bit of a challenge, but it’s nothing our participants can’t handle! We’re so glad that the new route was a big success.

All in all, there’s simply no denying that this was a very special day. Thank you so much for everyone who came and got involved in any way, whether it’s as a runner, spectator, volunteer, or partner – we can’t wait to see you all next time, for the Leeds 10K’s Sweet 16 celebration.