Introduction
We are extremely excited to be announcing that we are the official Physiotherapy and Sports Rehabilitation partners of the Bolton Marathon 2020. In this blog, we will discuss the history of the Bolton Marathon, what the future holds for the event and what our involvement will mean for the participants.
History of The Bolton Marathon
In 1981 Vince Regan, a popular marathon runner and businessman, founded the first-ever Bolton Marathon. It was held under its official title as the “Pony British Marathon”. More than 8,000 runners from across the world gathered to compete at the event. In fact, 1,300 more runners competed in the event than in the London marathon, which was launched the same year.
The old 26-mile route took in Lostock, Westhoughton, Atherton, Little Hulton, Walkden, Farnworth and Little Lever, finishing with a tough uphill climb up the aptly named Plodder Lane and on to Hulton Lane playing fields. Hundreds of people would line the route cheering on both elite athletes and the club and fun runners who raised thousands of pounds for charity by taking part. Even the experts said that the marathon represented a tough challenge with the finishing two miles being named the ‘Bolton Beast’.
The historic event was held for seven years with the final race in 1987 attracting around 2,00 runners. Dwindling numbers were blamed for the race being cancelled.
Bolton Marathon Coming Soon…
After a 32 year hiatus, a date has been set for the next Bolton Marathon. Expect the event to come through the borough on the 17th May 2020. Furthermore, the organisers are aiming to make the event the first-ever marathon in the world to operate without products made from single-use plastics.
It is hoped that the race will generate £25,000 for the fund in its first year. Moreover, all the profits from the event will be donated to the Bolton Marathon Community Trust Fund, which was set up by Bolton Marathon Ltd to support residents, charities and organisations to be more active and lead healthier lives. “We’ve put so much hard work into getting this far and we’re excited that this iconic race is going to be returning to the streets of Bolton once again. We want to change the way mass participation events are run by reducing our impact on the environment as well as giving something back to the community and we know that Bolton can deliver this and more.” said race director; Rich Smith.
Conclusion
We will be offering exclusive benefits for everyone who enters the Marathon. These benefits include discounted treatment, free workshops and specific content and exercises linked to effective training programmes for a comprehensive plan for your marathon training.
Sign up for the Bolton Marathon, here: https://tinyurl.com/y6pxw98l
References
- Youssef, A. (2019). Return of the Beast?. [online] The Bolton News. Available at: https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/816129.return-of-the-beast/ [Accessed 10 Sep. 2019].
