During the pandemic people have used being stuck at home as an opportunity to exercise by going on walks or runs locally. On 15th May Richmond RunFest is holding their AIR 10k inside Kew Gardens allowing many to show off their improved running ability in a casual, communal environment.

The AIR part of the name stands for ‘Audio Inspired Running’. Runners will be able to listen to an audio guide of Kew Gardens as well as their own music while they run. The run will be socially distanced, but it will still be an opportunity for those who have found themselves unable to exercise with others to be able to do something as a community.

Richmond RunFest was originally founded in 2013 to celebrate the legacy of the London Olympics, making it fitting that, when the Olympics have been postponed, they will still be able to bring people together over a love of sport. The run is in support of the charity ‘Children with Cancer’ with previous years’ runs raising as much as £730,000.

“2020 was a tough year for many events,” said race director Tom Bedford. Many events have struggled to take place due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the massive number of people who attend making them unachievable through much of lockdown. However, it seems that finally more mass sporting events will be possible, with Richmond RunFest also organising another 10K run for 16th May and holding a marathon in Kempton Park on 29th May.

“We would like to say a big thank you to our runners and volunteers who have supported us through this year,” said Tom Bedford. Organising a large run has proved to be challenging for the RunFest team, with the event having been postponed several times before finally being given the fixed date of Saturday 15th May.

The run will allow many people to get out and do a group sport after being at home for so long. It will also be a great opportunity to raise money for charity, making it poised to be an extremely popular local event.