The Ørsted Great Grimsby 10K has sold out – and within just a matter of days.
Entries opened at 10am on Tuesday 11 May for the sixth running of the much-loved race. Within the first day, there were just 285 spaces left. As of Sunday afternoon, the race had sold out.
The 10K is set to return as a physical COVID-safe event on Sunday 18 July 2021, with 50 per cent reduced capacity of 2,000 participants and a staggered start between 9am and 11am.
It will be one of the first major events to take place in the borough.
Lauren Little, stakeholder advisor at Ørsted, said: “The Great Grimsby 10k event has become a much-anticipated event in the community calendar and it’s fantastic to see that the enthusiasm for it has not been lost, despite a challenging time. We can’t wait to get our trainers on and get out there to help raise some money for our charity partners.”
Tape2Tape race directors, Neil and Nicola Pattison, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that people are pulling on their running shoes for the return of this hugely popular race that we love putting on each year for the great town of Grimsby.
“The speed in which the race has sold out is testament to just how loved it is and we cannot wait to see you all again and put on a fantastic race for the runners, albeit slightly different to previous years as we take the necessary precautions to put on a COVID-safe event.”
Places are still available for the virtual race at www.greatgrimsby10k.com. People can run the race any time between 18 July to 31 July. A medal and t-shirt will be posted out to virtual runners before the end of July.
Race organisers are also operating a waiting list and will contact subscribers should any further places become available. More information can be found at www.greatgrimsby10k.com.
COVID-Secure measures being put in place:
Staggered start between 9am and 11am every two minutes – removing the mass gathering in the Town Hall Square area seen in previous years with two wave starts, and people will be spread out across the 10km route
Reduce entry capacity by 50 per cent, with 2,000 participants
Sanitiser stations at toilet facilities and the start and finish line
Some stalls in People’s Park. Activities will return next year
Race results will be based on chip times, not first past the finish line due to the staggered start. Winners will be recognised and awarded at a later date
There will be one water station at the route’s halfway point, but people are strongly encouraged to bring their own water
Sponsors for the race include Ørsted, North East Lincolnshire Council, Young’s, NAVIGO, ENGIE, North East Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Dalkia, St Hugh’s Hospital, Freshney Place, Jembuild and Lincolnshire Co-Op.
The race brings the community together to support local good causes, raising thousands of pounds for charities.
A £1 donation is made from every race entry into a fund shared between the event’s charity partners – Harbour Place, Marie Curie, St Andrews Hospice, The Health Tree Foundation, RNLI, Blue Lights Brigade and A Platform To Talk – a local community Facebook group that has been set up by local people to provide a platform for people to talk, seek help and gain advice for mental health issues. They will donate their share of the charity funds to the local Samaritans while they await full charitable status.
All the charities have 10 free places each. Runners can contact the charities direct if they would like to run for them.
In 2019, the race helped raise £18,500 directly for seven charities from race entries, fundraiser places and other initiatives.
Any local businesses who would like to support the event in some way can get in touch with nicola@tape2tape.co.uk.
You can follow the Ørsted Great Grimsby 10K using #GY10K on social media for news and race