The UK’s leading dementia research charity Alzheimer’s Research UK and parkrun UK have just launched an inspiring new challenge called Running Down Dementia.
Running Down Dementia challenges participants to run 100km over summer 2016 and raise £100 for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
The charity launched the challenge on Saturday 14 May with parkrun, which offers free timed 5km runs across the country, as the organisation’s official charity partner.
Over the launch weekend, 194 people have already signed up, have run 698km and raised £1,492.
All runners have to do is sign up at runningdowndementia.org, pledge to raise £100, connect their tracking app such as Strava or MapMyFitness and get running.
Runners will be able to compare their distances with others interactively through the website for extra motivation and keep track of leaderboards. Better yet, runners can join forces and compete in teams, and parkrun groups can compete for the top spot.
Whether it takes five days or five months, the aim is to achieve 100km by the end of September 2016. Runners can clock up the miles by taking part in a 5km parkrun every week, and can of course run more than 100km if they wish, with the aim of raising £1 per km.
Runners are encouraged to use Twitter and Facebook on their journey, and use the hashtag #RunningDownDementia.
Every penny raised will go to Alzheimer’s Research UK, which receives no government funding, to pay for vital dementia research.
Kenneth Foreman, Sporting Events Manager at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This is a really exciting new initiative for Alzheimer’s Research UK and parkrun UK.
“Money raised from this campaign will go towards the charity’s pioneering work into preventions and treatments for dementia.
“One in three people over 65 will die with some form of dementia. It can only be defeated through research but funding lags far behind other serious diseases.
“Alzheimer’s Research UK is leading the way in finding preventions and treatments for dementia, but we can’t do it without our wonderful supporters’ help.”
Find more at www.runningdowndementia.org
For further information or to learn more about fundraising for the charity, call 0300 111 5555 or go to www.alzheimersresearchuk.org.