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Unique race is only chance to run under the River Mersey
BTR Mersey Tunnel 2023 10K - Photograph by Paul Francis Cooper BTR A unique and atmospheric BTR Mersey Tunnel 10K returns on:- 14 April 2024, this Sunday, with more than 2,200 runners already signed up; almost double last year’s numbers.
This is the only time, throughout the year, when people can make their way through the Kingsway Tunnel on foot. While at the same time running under the River Mersey which runs between:- Liverpool and Wirral. Fondly known locally as the:- 'New Tunnel,' the Kingsway Tunnel was opened on:- 24 June 1971, by the late Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II. This is the 18th staging of the point to point race, which always proves popular with those gearing up for the London Marathon the following weekend. Entries close at:- 5pm, on:- Thursday, 11 April 2024. No more entries will be taken after this time. There will be no entries on the day. Final places must and can only be booked online at:- BTRLiverpool.Com. The race starts in Liverpool City Centre, before runners head into the Kingsway Tunnel. After emerging on the Wirral side of the tunnel, runners make their way to:- Seacombe Promenade, Fort Perch Rock, and Marine Lake. The finish line is on Ian Fraser Walk in New Brighton overlooking the River Mersey; a fantastic backdrop for runners to collect their commemorative finishers’ medal and technical fabric running T-shirt. The Mersey Tunnel 10K returned to the North West running calendar in 2006 at the request of Mersey Tunnels, with BTR Liverpool taking on the mantle to organise and deliver the event. It has since taken place annually with the exception of 2020 when there was a break of almost 2½ years between races due to the Pandemic. Post Pandemic, the race was staged in September, both in:- 2021 and 2022. In 2023 the race returned to a Spring date. The 8 official charity partners for BTR Liverpool's 2024 event portfolio are:- Alder Hey Children's Charity; Claire House Children’s Hospice; Clatterbridge Cancer Charity; Liverpool Women’s Hospital Charity; Mersey Cares; North West Air Ambulance; Wirral University Teaching Hospital; and Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice. The charities will be represented on the day by runners or volunteer teams. Overseas runners taking part have travelled from:- Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, and the USA, and even Australia! Local running clubs with the largest numbers taking part include:- Birkenhead Running Club, Knowsley Harriers AC, Liverpool Running Club, Mikkeller Running Club, Penny Lane Striders, Rimrose Runners, and Wallasey AC. The current BTR Mersey Tunnel 10K race record is:- 30 minutes 52 seconds, set in 2016, by:- Dejene Gezimu, from:- Liverpool Harriers AC. The female record is:- 36 minutes 19 seconds, set in 2019, by Kirsty Longley, from:- Liverpool Pembroke and Sefton Harriers. This year's entries see registrations for senior runners ranging in age from:- 74 to 85 years old. BTR Liverpool is the leading independent organisation for creating, managing, and delivering headline race events across the Liverpool City Region. The BTR Liverpool race portfolio also includes:- the Wirral events Port Sunlight Road Race, on:- Sunday, 9 June 2024, and Wirral 10K, on:- Sunday, 13 October 2024. Taking part in the Mersey Tunnel 10K for the 1st time is a team of 20 Armed Forces veterans, from:- Liverpool, Wirral, and Sefton. They are pulling on their military boots and will march the 10K route to fundraise for Liverpool-based The Block - Armed Forces Foundation homeless prevention project. The group began in 2019 as a small veteran community service aimed at helping local ex-forces in times of crisis. It is now a registered charity. Find out more about the charity at:- TheBlockAFF.Org Former Paratrooper Colin Eastaway from Liverpool is Chief Executive Officer of The Block - Armed Forces Foundation and is 1 of the charity's founders. He served with the Special Forces Support Group, and did multiple tours of Iraq and Afghanistan. The group will carry equipment in a traditional military style exercise called speed march, or Tactical Advance to Battle (TAB). They will be led by former Paratrooper physical training instructor and founder of Tactical Athlete programme coach Mike Chadwick. Colin explained:- "Together as a group, we are marching both to raise awareness of The Block and vital funds to support homeless ex-service personnel, mental health support, and housing. I struggled with civilian life after the military. And with other former colleagues from across Liverpool we identified that more support was needed in the City following a rise in Veteran suicide and homelessness; so we founded The Block. Veterans struggling with life after the military can experience poor mental health while in transition to civilian life. During a sudden change in circumstances, they can often find themselves at risk of homelessness or worse, at risk of suicide. Due to the cost of living and housing crises, we are receiving unprecedented requests for support from military service leavers. We are self-funded so every penny really will make a difference to the lives of people we support. By providing emergency accommodation along with inclusion and a safe like minded space, The Block provides the tools our veterans need to tackle these difficult periods of their lives. Please support us along the way on the day, or by making a donation for veterans who really do need that helping hand." The Block Crowdfunder is being run through Aviva Community Fund, funds will be match-funded. Donations can be made at:- AvivaCommunityFund.Co.UK Next in the BTR portfolio are:- Run For The 97 5K and 1 Mile, in Stanley Park, on:- Saturday, 18 May 2024, followed by the Port Sunlight Road Race 5K, 10K and 1K Fun Run, on:- Sunday, 9 June 2024. BTR Running Events 2024:-
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