Victoria Prest looks at the build-up to the first Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon.

TEN months after it was first announced, the day is fast approaching for the first ever Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon.

When 6,500 runners set off on Sunday at 9.30am, it will be the culmination of months of preparation and anticipation.

For many, it will be the first time they cross the start line of a 26.2 mile race. For others, it is an immense personal challenge tackled to raise money for good causes close to their hearts, or to pay tribute to a loved one.

The race is also set to boost Yorkshire’s reputation as a sporting capital.

Double Paralympic gold medallist Hannah Cockroft is taking part in the event’s corporate relay and said the marathon would build on Yorkshire’s incredible showing in the 2012 Olympics.

Yorkshire athletes brought home seven gold medals, two silver and three bronzes, placing it 12th in the medal table if regarded as an independent country.

Hannah said: “Last summer proved that Yorkshire was the best county for sport in Britain and now that Yorkshire has its very own marathon, people can come and share in the legacy that was created.”

York’s first marathon was announced in January this year, and the inaugural event has been many months in the making.

It was launched on January 8 at Clifford’s Tower by Yorkshire celebrities including cricket legend Dickie Bird and TV football pundit Chris Kamara as well as Hannah Cockroft.

The Yorkshire Marathon aims to bring mass participation marathons closer to home for Yorkshire runners, but with a flatter course than London, Paris or New York it could become a “destination marathon” for runners looking for a personal best time.

It is being staged under the Jane Tomlinson charitable events umbrella - which already includes York’s 10k which took place in August this year, the Leeds, Hull and Pennine-Lancashire 10ks, and the sell-out Leeds Half Marathon. Sheffield-based phone and broadband provider, Plusnet, is the event’s headline sponsor.

The events were started by the Tomlinson family as a legacy to the late Yorkshire fundraiser and campaigner Jane Tomlinson, who raised almost £2m for charity by tackling a series of incredible endurance challenges, despite being diagnosed with incurable cancer.

Organisers say the event will raise up to £1.3million for charities.

Runners can choose to support any cause they like, but have been encouraged to support one of the ten official charity partners – the Jane Tomlinson Appeal; St Leonard’s Hospice; Sue Ryder; Clic Sargent; Parkinson’s UK; Martin House Children’s Hospice; Yorkshire Cancer Research; Macmillan Cancer Care; the Haven; and Candlelighters.

The race is also a massive logistical organisation involving more than 800 volunteers as well as road closures and travel arrangements set up to make sure the thousands of runners can get safely to and from and race start and finish points, and spectators and visitors can travel around the city.

More information is included in this supplement, online at yorkpress.co.uk, or on the event’s website theyorkshiremarathon.com


Did you know?
The event has an international flavour with runners coming from as far away as the USA, Germany, Australia, Bahamas, Canada, France, Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland to take their place on the starting line.