The streets of Oxford came alive, with the annual Virgin Sport Oxford Half Marathon taking centre stage in Oxford. The hugely popular race took runners through some of the most beautiful places in the city of dreaming spires; including the iconic Clarendon Building, the charming village of Old Marston and past the stunning Radcliffe Camera in the city centre.
The 2017 Oxford Half Marathon fastest male was won by Joe Morwood, fastest female winner was Kim Horner and wheelchair athlete winner was Gary Cooper with times of 01:07:52, 01:18:34 and 01:09:24 respectively.
There was entertainment for all with Oxfordshire bands and DJ’s such as Mama Brass, DJ G, and the Oxford Half Marathon Battle of the Bands winner Samuel Edward, playing to the runners and cheering crowds along the route.
Virgin Sport CEO Mary Wittenberg added, “We are thrilled to be hosting the Virgin Sport Oxford Half Marathon this year with record entries of over 10,000 participants registered. Everybody in the community has been so supportive of what we’re trying to achieve and we feel like everybody has really embodied the Virgin Sport spirit. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without assistance from a number of community groups, charities and local running clubs, so the fact that they’re all so willing to be involved is incredible”.
Virgin Sport had nearly 400 people taking part in the school’s challenge, involving 11 schools across the county. Furthermore, around 500 people ran for charities including Sobell House, Helen & Douglas House & Cancer Research UK. The event had 3 times as many pacers as last year in order to cater to all abilities including: walk/jog, joggy & joggier – from running clubs across Oxfordshire including Headington Road Runners, Abington Athletic Club and Whitney Road Runners.
Alongside the massive turn out from the local community, many of the local businesses supported the event too, offering special deals for runners who presented their medal, including The Cherwell Boat House and The Bear Inn. Some even opened specially on Sunday to take advantage of the increased footfall.
Virgin Sport has continued their partnership with the Youth Sport Trust to leave a legacy within the local community. Virgin Sport and Youth Sport Trust are passionate about enhancing the lives of all young people by providing better access to physical education, physical activity, and sport. Virgin Sport Co-Founder Freddie Andrewes said “Through our partnership with Youth Sport Trust we identify and invest into local programmes that use sport and physical activity to create positive social impact. Thanks to the generosity of our participants, their donations will go towards expanding the current Girls Active programme in Oxford through The Oxford Academy. We’ll be working with a number of state secondary schools to get more girls engaged in sport and physical activity.”
Registrations are already open for Virgin Sport’s next UK event, Virgin Sport Hackney Festival of Fitness 2018 featuring the Hackney Half Marathon on the 20th May. Participants can register themselves, friends, teams and fans at VirginSport.com. Enjoy one of the most vibrant half marathon’s you will ever embark on.
Virgin Sport Oxford Half was the third Virgin Sport event of 2017, following the Hackney Festival of Fitness (30 April), British 10k in Westminster (9th July) and a final event is being held in San Francisco (13-15 October).
Virgin Sport is co-located in New York City and London, and led by CEO Mary Wittenberg, former President/CEO of New York Road Runners and Race Director for the New York City Marathon. In the coming months, Virgin Sport will expand to new festivals of sport and active lifestyle products in cities and communities around the world.
To find out more about Virgin Sport and to register for upcoming events, visit www.virginsport.com
