Get running for Boom!

Springwell Running Club hosts the Boom 10K Road Race in association with the Ulster University.
Alison Rankin (Centre) Race Director of the Boom 10K, with members of the host club, Springwell Running Club.Alison Rankin (Centre) Race Director of the Boom 10K, with members of the host club, Springwell Running Club.
Alison Rankin (Centre) Race Director of the Boom 10K, with members of the host club, Springwell Running Club.

The Boom 10K road race is fast approaching, (Saturday 17 September at 12.00 noon) and organisers are hoping for even more success than was experienced at this 10K race in previous years. This annual event is organised to help raise awareness and much needed funding for the Boom Foundation sarcoma charity.

The Boom Foundation was established in 2013, following the death of Philip Wilson from sarcoma. Sarcomas are rare cancers that develop in the supporting or connective tissues of the body such as muscle, bone, nerves, cartilage, blood vessels and fat and around 3,800 new cases are diagnosed each year in the UK. The money raised by Boom is used firstly to provide practical assistance to cancer sufferers and their families, and secondly to support vital research.

The race and fun run/walk starts and finishes at the University of Ulster sports centre and is staged under Athletics NI rules. Teams of two are welcome with each participant running or walking 5K.

The route is two – laps starting on the Cromore Road, and goes towards Portstewart, back across Dundooan Road, down the Portstewart/Coleraine road, across the Boulevard to Millburn Road, and finally the short incline back up past the University where the second lap commences. Upon completing the circuit, runners will be filtered into the University grounds, under the finish gantry where the after race tea party and prize giving will be held at the University Sports Centre.

An official from Springwell Running Club has described the route as “fast and flat”, and will be a fun event for runners of all abilities. The route provides a number of strategic vantage points for spectators.

Whether you are a seasoned athlete, a budding fitness fanatic, a keen runner, or a fun runner/walker, we are encouraging you to get into your stride this year by taking part in the Boom 10K. There will be prizes in all categories, and a spot prize of a weekend in a self-catering cottage in Portstewart for one luck finisher.

Entry forms are available at the Ulster University Sports Centre, or on – line @ www.springwellrunners.com or enter http://athleticsni.org/Fixtures/Boom-10K