Cancer Research UK’s Race For Life Events Return This Autumn

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COVID-19 caused the cancellation of Cancer Research UK’s entire Race for Life series in 2020, but it’s returning with a bang in 2021 with more than 400 different races planned for late summer and autumn.

The events offer the choice of 3K, 5K and 10K runs, as well as Pretty Muddy obstacle course races. The series is set up to be as accessible and achievable as possible, so it’s not a problem if you don’t have much time to train. It’s all about completing the distance, enjoying yourself and raising money for a very good cause.

The Race for Life events take place all over the UK on both Saturdays and Sundays every weekend, as well as a few midweek dates, from 8th August to 9th October. There is certain to be one near you that you might fancy doing – you can use the Find An Event page on the website to search by distance, location and date.

It costs from £14.99 to enter as an adult, and it’s £10 for kids (children under six go free), though if you sign up before 4th July you can get 30% off the entry fee using the code RFLJUNE30.

Along with the entry fee, which helps to cover the cost of the event, each participant is asked to raise a minimum of £50 for Cancer Research UK. That fundraising is, of course, more vital than ever. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the charity is expecting a £250m drop in fundraising income over three years, and it has already been forced to reduce the amount it planned to spend on research by £121m.

While the events will be going ahead after the likely lifting of all lockdown restrictions in all parts of the UK, there will still be measures in place to make them COVID-secure. These include splitting the event into waves to reduce congestion on the course, hand sanitising stations and social distancing measures.

For more information about the safety measures at the events, plus training advice for the different Race for Life events, head to the website, where you’ll also find ideas to help you fundraise.

Nick Harris-Fry
Senior writer

Nick Harris-Fry is a journalist who has been covering health and fitness since 2015. Nick is an avid runner, covering 70-110km a week, which gives him ample opportunity to test a wide range of running shoes and running gear. He is also the chief tester for fitness trackers and running watches, treadmills and exercise bikes, and workout headphones.