Written by By Izzy Sekar, CNN
In a whirlwind 24 hours, the charity run ’24 Hour Field Day’ — also known as “Run Kev Run” — raised more than £300,000 ($374,600) for children’s charities – a record amount for the event.
Over 1,500 men and women took part in the massive annual fundraising event, which this year was the ninth edition since its inception in 2009.
The participants ran from Yateley, Hampshire, in the south of England, through London to Surrey, Surrey, and back to Yateley. From across the UK, runners also made the trip to Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The participants took turns to keep up the pace, either on their own or in groups, according to Steve Woggie, the field day manager who told CNN that the event has now raised more than £2.8 million ($3.87 million) in total.
‘As many roads as possible’
“I thought, let’s take the lead, let’s see what we can do,” he said of the event, which was launched by private taxi firm Addison Lee in 2009.
“As a field day we focus on the theme of the blue sky, but it is also about unity, having one direction, one goal, one journey.”
Describing the early morning run in South Wales, Woggie said: “The majority of the runners did the 8 kilometers or 16 miles in under eight hours, which is amazing, but it is just like somebody else joining us on the same roads for me.”
“It is just as much my job to pass along the route to others as it is for them to experience it for themselves,” he added.
Women were essential to the success of the event, as half of all runners were females, Woggie said. A separate campaign received donations from women runners, underlining the “equality” message behind the event.
“I’m proud of all the young females who took part,” he said. “It is such a positive experience for them — getting out on the course and running for themselves is huge, and all these adults as well — to have the evening to remember.”
Other Field Day successes include supporting Sure Start Community Learning Centres in the UK, donating money to sufferers of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and raising funds for the Royal Society for Protection of the Wild Birds.
Sinclaire Inglis, who took part in the run, was among a total of 500 runners taking part in the 2016 event in Surrey.
“It’s been great, and there have been so many different people you meet along the way. You meet so many new people. You get to meet so many amazing people,” she said.