Students at the University of Manchester ran non-stop for 24 hours in aid of those sleeping rough on the streets of Manchester.
The Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness, hosted by the Run Wild Manchester society, saw students run through the city on a mapped out course for 24 hours straight. The run started on the 13th of November and finished at midday on the 14th.
Run Wild Manchester managed to more than double their £1000 target for the charity, with the current total standing at £2234 and still rising. There were 309 runners who took part across the two days with 215km completed in total, making this the biggest event that Run Wild Manchester has put on to date.
The event raised money for the Mayor’s Charity, which will support the A Bed Every Night Scheme. The charity works to ensure that no-one sleeps rough on the streets of Manchester and aims to change the mindset of those that just ‘walk on by’ people sleeping rough by encouraging social action.
The running track for the event consisted of 5km laps with different groups setting off every thirty minutes. Like the runs put on by Run Wild on a weekly basis, the event encouraged people of all running abilities to take part. The groups ran at a pace that everyone was comfortable with and people could run as many laps as they wanted to.
Speaking before the event, president of Run Wild Manchester, Thomas Lewis said: “We’re really excited about this challenge. Not only will it be a lot of fun, it will also raise awareness and provide real help to homeless people struggling on the streets of our city.”
The first runner, Jonathan Aze, who is a regular member at Run Wild, set off on the first lap at 12pm on Wednesday. He initially ran two 5km laps but went back out to do a further two laps on Thursday morning.
Speaking to The Mancunion, Jonathan said he got involved with the 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness because he “thought it was a really interesting challenge, and homelessness is such a visible problem in Manchester, so it’s a great cause to be supporting.”
To get involved with the Run Wild society, and to hear more about their upcoming projects, visit their Facebook page. If you would like to donate to the event you can still do so on the Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness Just Giving page.
