Following the much celebrated 70th anniversary of the National Health Service earlier this month, there have been events up and down the country to celebrate the birthday of one of the nation’s best loved institutions.
Go Virtual Racing in partnership with NHS Charities Together have now launched The Official NHS70 Virtual Run ‘7 for 70’ where runners of all ages and abilities can sign up to run or walk 7.0 kilometers or 7.0 miles, raise valuable funds for charity and be awarded with a unique double-sided medal. All funds raised will be shared between all the hospitals involved in the NHS70 celebrations and distributed across the whole of the UK.
One of the driving forces behind The Official NHS70 Virtual Run is #TeamLGT from Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust (LGT). Jo Gennari, a keen runner and founder of the running group at Lewisham, is General Manager in the Division of Acute and Emergency Medicine and she set up the beginner’s run club last year to encourage hospital staff to look after their own wellbeing as well as that of others. The mighty #TeamLGT now counts over 100 Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust staff from various roles, and the team have since gone on to take part in events all over the country and helped guide its beginners group from couch to 5k and on to half marathon distance.
Jo Gennari, leader of Team LGT, said: “We are so excited that The Official NHS70 Virtual Run is open for entries, allowing runners of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to lace up their trainers and show their support for the NHS this summer. Myself and the team at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust are on the frontline every day and this is a great way to show how much you appreciate the NHS and all the people whose dedication make it so special.”
John McGlone of Go Virtual Racing added: “We strongly believe that activity is a great way to improve people’s general health and wellbeing, and we are thrilled to have launched The Official NHS70 Virtual Run, allowing runners up and down the country to actively show their appreciation and raise vital funds for NHS Charities. We are proud of the unique double-sided medal and we hope to raise huge amounts of money for NHS Charities Together.
“Having lost my father in January after a short illness it struck me how challenging a job the NHS staff have under difficult circumstances. So when the opportunity to help Jo with the Virtual Run came up it was something that we wanted to support.”
Go Virtual Racing enables runners of all ages and abilities to take part in virtual running events, at their chosen time, location and pace. They create unique collaborations which are all about making a difference through running.
Entries to The Official NHS70 Virtual Run ‘7 for 70’ cost £12 per person and a unique medal will be awarded to all entrants who have submitted proof of the completion of either 7.0 kilometers or 7.0 miles via the Go Virtual Racing website. Medals will be dispatched from September onwards.
Go to govirtualracing.com/nhs70/ for further details and to sign up to The Official NHS70 Virtual Run ‘7 for 70’. Runners should use #7forNHS70 to show their support on social media.
You can also like the Facebook page or follow @GoVirtualRacin #7forNHS70 on Twitter.
