As the clock change brings lighter evenings and heralds the start of the warmer weather, so preparations for the 2016 Frome Half Marathon, 10k and 5k are well under way.
The 2015 event raised a fantastic £10,500 for local charities, and it’s hoped that this year’s races, which start at 10.00am on Sunday 17th July, will beat that number.
The race this year will be started by inspirational local boxer Ryan Wheeler.
Ryan started boxing aged 11 and had a superb amateur career that saw him become Midlands, Western Counties, and Southern area champion, along with reaching national finals with 38 wins from 52 fights.
Once his amateur career was over, Ryan looked to join the Army, but was refused due to having bone cancer as a child, which he has since fully recovered from. So Ryan decided to join the professional boxing ranks, and he is currently undefeated, with his next fight on 16th April in Bristol.
Ryan says it was a real honour to be asked to start the Frome Half Marathon. He said, “I feel overwhelmed to be starting the race. This honour shows that all the hard work I do in and out of the ring is paying off.
“I try my best to help anyone who seeks advice to get fit, and urge everyone to sign up to one of the runs in Frome on 17th July.”
Ryan himself is no stranger to the Frome races, having come third in the half marathon previously with a time of 1:26:47, and ninth in the 10k in 39 minutes.
With three different races distances – half marathon, 10k and 5k – plus a children’s 1k fun run, the event has something for runners of all ages and abilities; and if you can’t or don’t want to run, please volunteer your services as a marshal to help ensure the event runs smoothly on the day.
This year’s 10k event will hold special significance, as it plays host to race six of the Wiltshire Road Race League, it’s the Somerset County Championship, plus it’s a South West Inter Counties event, with runners coming from Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Avon to pound the streets of the town.
To find out more about the day – including which roads will be closed to traffic and when – to enter any of the races or to volunteer to help out on the day, go to www.fromehalfmarathon.co.uk
