The Keepsafe Perth 10K Is Down With The Kids

Here’s a question I’ve been pondering… Has running really taken a HUGE upturn in recent years or is it just that as I get older I notice it more? Back in the day, weight could be maintained just by dancing until 2pm all weekend but it seems that everywhere I turn I have a friend running a marathon, tackling a tough mudder or singing the praises of their Saturday morning park run.

I do like to dig around and find answers but of course it is almost impossible to tell who has pulled on their trainers at 8pm and gone for a run instead of kicking the dog or opening a bottle of wine.  What I did find out was that 1 in every 8 people in the UK are members of a gym and that this number is increasing year on year… It seems that we really are beginning to get the message that keeping fit is good for us!

Here in Perth we’ve enjoyed the annual 10K race for some thirty years and in 2010 it was taken over by Perthshire Running Events, a company set up by local PT (and a previous Big Personality), Steve Bonthrone.  Working with Digital Race Timing to deliver the event, this is a labour of love from a man who has spent the last 17 years of his life running everywhere! When it comes to this race, Steve is driven by passion and ploughs all of his spare time into making sure the people of our Small City have the chance to get out and air their legs in the August sunshine.

Three years ago he realised that in order to keep the race going he needed some cold hard cash; enter local company, Keepsafe Storage Centres who stepped in as the headline sponsor giving the event its new moniker of The Keepsafe Perth 10K.

Anne Smith, MD of Keepsafe has also embraced running and has taken part for the past two years.  Here’s what she had to say:

“We’re delighted to be in a position to sponsor this tremendous community 10K once again. We really do take great pride in supporting an event that helps motivate the health and wellbeing of local people; our own Keepsafe team are already planning their training and charity fundraising efforts and I know others will be keen to get started in doing the same.”

The event starts and finishes on the North Inch with a route that takes in the scenic River Tay path before turning into Arran Road Industrial estate and North Muirton’s Bute Drive. This year, for the first time in its history, the event will open up to young runners with a 1.5K race for five to eleven year olds and a 3K race for twelve to sixteen year olds, both of which have been sponsored by Live Active Leisure.

The local fitness trust has funded the first one hundred spaces across the 1.5K and 3K races opening up the opportunity for children across Perth and Kinross to take part FOR FREE!  Now, as a mum and a reader of the fabulous #RhonaRecommends column I know that there’s not much you can do with your kids for free… So my advice is if you’re nurturing a future Eilidh Childs or Mo Farrah, you get in quick!

It’s no secret that encouraging a love of exercise in kids is one of LAL’s key priorities and through their Active Fun and Active Energy brands they offer a whole host of opportunities for kids right up to age sixteen.  Getting your kids into sports and fitness from an early age means that they won’t wait until their too old to go to the dancing to take up a healthy lifestyle!

Not only will you give them a gift they will have for life, nurturing a healthy attitude towards exercise and keeping fit will help them right now - physical fitness, confidence and stronger self-esteem, more energy, better memory, and simply a good feeling about themselves all go hand-in-hand with kids who like to live active.

Steve is even more upbeat than usual (seriously – he’s a perfect advert for how much running can help keep you positive!) and is looking forward to welcoming a whole new generation of runners to join the race’s 30 year history.

“Having Keepsafe storage on board for another year has made the whole thing possible once again and now, thanks to Live Active Leisure’s involvement, we’re  in a position where we can offer one hundred free spaces to the first kids to sign up.  

We were already excited to announce the new children’s fun run distances for this year’s event and I’m hoping this tremendous news encourages some of our younger athletes and budding runners to motivate their parents and families into signing up and taking part.”

What are you waiting for? Get those trainers dusted off and grab the whole family for this year's big running day out.

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Keepsafe Perth 10K: Sunday 28th August 2016
Find out more about how to enter and secure your kids' free place by clicking over to Keepsafe Perth 10K website. 

Keepsafe Storage is owned by Castlecroft Securities Ltd, a Perth based company owned by Alex Wishart, Ian Black and Sheena Black, all of whom are delighted to be involved with this great community event once again.