You really couldn’t wish for a more beautiful route to run than the one the competitors follow on the Vitality Westminster Mile.
The event begins and ends in St James’s Park with the course taking in many of the most iconic sites in London including the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Somerset House, the Old Bailey, the Bank of England, Admiralty Arch, Nelson’s Column, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Mansion House.
The event, a legacy event from the 2012 Olympic Games, is very much one for all the family with races for all ages and abilities. In addition, a system that seeds runners based on their predicted finishing time means that competitors run with people of a similar standard.
As with the majority of major running events in the capital these days, the Vitality Westminster Mile is only a small part of the event and not to be outdone, the organisers of the event have created their own “Vitality Wellness Festival” which will feature “something for everyone”, including child and adult-friendly activities, giveaways and advice on how to stay healthy and active.
The Vitality 10k event also doubles as the British 10K Championships for Men and Women with thousands of pounds of cash prizes for the winners. To ensure a good turnout for the race, the organisers have offered complimentary entry to runners who have completed the 10k in less than 32 minutes (men) and 38 minutes (Women) in the last two years.
A delightful new addition to the event in recent years has been the Olympians race which began in 2015 with former Olympic Champion Steve Cram winning the inaugural event. 90 athletes competed in that first event with the 98-year-old veteran of the 1948 London Games Bill Lucas officially starting the race. In 2017, Sebastian Coe made a return to racing action at the event.
The Vitality Westminster Mile will take place on the 26th of May 2019.
More information on the event can be found here.
For information on other great sporting events in London, please click here.
