Ready, set, go. Earlier this morning, Liverpool’s annual Scouse 5k run set off from St George’s Hall, as participants set forth on their quest to the finish line.
Laughter, respect and a willingness to finish is what makes these sorts of events so special. This 5k run was introduced four years ago with the aim to promote money for the R charity, which raises funds for the Royal Liverpool Hospital Breast Cancer Unit and the Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Starting in 2016, the event was launched off the back of the success of its sister event, the John West Spring 10k, and was introduced as a more light-hearted event that the people of the city could get behind.
This means that once a year, athletes and spectators gather across the streets of Liverpool, as they set off in their bright outfits and colourful wigs, hoping to complete the three-mile course.
Speaking about the 5k run, organiser, Matthew Davies, revealed that he believes that the humour of the run would only work in Liverpool.
“I think so. I would be interested to see if it would work anywhere else, I’m not sure it would,” he said.
“Also, we have the whole thing with the wigs from the 80s and now it is just about laughing at ourselves.”
He also added that this event is a great way of bringing people together, whether they’re from the city or not.
“Everyone just has fun. It brings families and work colleagues together as well as first-timers, people who have never done anything like this before.”
As time was ticking down the participants flooded in. The atmosphere was buzzing, with nearly 4000 – a number that keeps rising year on year – people lining up ready to begin.
As that whistle went, a sea of multi-coloured wigs raced out past Lime Street and down towards the Cathedral. Spectators lining the roads hoping to get a glimpse of these athletes taking part in such a worthwhile cause.
The multicoloured aspect of the run is to raise awareness for breast cancer, which is still the highest form of cancer across the UK. With events such as this, spreading the word is made a little bit easier.
“I think it is massive for them,” said Matt, revealing about how much this means to the R charity.
“Speaking to them – we are quite close to them with this event – and they are so pleased with it.
“Awareness is so important, people don’t know about the charity, so, therefore, no one is going to raise funds for them.”
As the runners entered that final stretch, they were met with cheers and acknowledgement from the people around them, as well as a bottle of water. Finishing might have been a relief, but the number of people who said they will be coming back was astonishing.
One man we spoke to was Tim Cook, 29, who said reveals that it wasn’t easy but he will definitely be coming back next year; “It was tough,” he told MerseySportLive.
“I didn’t realise where the finish, but it just appeared out of nowhere outside McDonald’s, maybe not the best place to finish but it was fun.”
While, Lee Warburton, 45, agreed and said the who event was really enjoyable to take part in;
“It was great. A really good occasion, well organised and I enjoyed running through Liverpool with no cars. Fantastic city and a fantastic race.”
