RunThrough UK has been one of Britain’s biggest events organisers, hosting upwards of over 120 live events the year leading up to the pandemic. When the pandemic hit however, that didn’t stop RunThrough UK in its tracks like a lot of UK events organisers. They managed to keep the country moving with a whole host of virtual events and they are now back in action with ‘covid-safe’ organised races. We got the chance to speak with the co-founder, Matt Wood to find out how they have managed to stay at the top of their game and what keeps him motivated to continue offering amazing events to the general public coming out of lockdown.
1. How does it feel to be back!?
Matt: It feels really great to be back. I’m really enjoying being back in the racing world again. We’ve been off for a long time. After people have been cooped up in lockdown for months, huge pent-up demand from runners has built up. As Co-Founder of RunThrough, I’ve witnessed a major surge in bookings for our 2021 events calendar and our website traffic has shot up by over 100%.
2. How was working through the pandemic and hosting the virtual events in place of the live events and was there a large hunger for that?
Matt: Yes, we found that there was definitely a hunger for that. For the first few months, we were organising the UK’s largest virtual UK run. We had thousands and thousands of people complete the RunThrough virtual runs and we have also people from over 50 countries doing the events so what we’ve done has gone global. It’s been exciting and something different to go virtual while people have been locked away. You do miss out a little bit on that social connection, but we have a fabulous RunThrough community where people are talking every day about their runs, sharing things on our RunThrough Facebook group and Instagram channels. So, we have had a lot of interest and we found that having virtual runs has proved a fantastic way to get over the absence of normal events.
3. Taking a positive from the last year, what’s one thing that you can pick out.
Matt: For RunThrough, I suppose it’s been that we have been able to grow our company in terms of the events that we are doing for the year after. We have managed to bring some fantastic venues into the fold. New venues like Alton Towers, Northampton Football Club coming up in June and we have got lots more to come over the next few months. We are also very excited during the past year to have launched RunThrough Kit, an exciting new running clothing brand offering kit for runners, designed and made by runners. We have a sustainable range, a bamboo range, T-shirts, jackets, shorts, leggings, socks, everything you could think of, kit that every running club should have. The products world for us is a different kind of world but it’s a very exciting venture for us.
4. Now you have already kicked off the year with a very successful event in Kempton Park. What was the atmosphere like at the event?
Matt: The event at Kempton Park was our first one back after the easing or restrictions governing organised outdoor sports events. So, it was extra-exciting for us. To record the event, we were delighted to have BBC Television pay us a visit on the day. They did interviews with myself and one of our event managers, Jatila. We were live on BBC Breakfast, which has 6 million viewers. So,with that happening and everyone being so pleased to be back after having been in lockdown for so long was obviously a great feeling for us. I didn’t feel there was any nervousness on the day. People came to the venue and they were very respectful of other runners. Because we had so many social-distancing measures in place, people felt nice and safe. We had a lot of experience staging ‘Covid-safe’ events last year, so RunThroughwas well prepared to host the Kempton Park event, which everyone really enjoyed.
5. With a massive increase in runners across the country, has that made you think of further events in places you perhaps haven’t traditionally put on races?
Matt: I suppose it has, but with the RunThrough model, we have always wanted to put on events for as many people as possible around the UK. We have got events in the North-West, he North-East, the Midlands, the South, we are everywhere. So, that hasn’t really changed the way we do things. It has made us think about doing a few more creative things and we are hoping over the next few months to start doing a few more elite fast races, which is going to be exciting too. As I just mentioned, we are also very excited to be making our debut at the theme park Alton Towers in November where you can buy a ticket, not only to run our events but also to go on some of the rides.
6. I’ve seen that you have personally increased your running (over Instagram) over the past few months. How has that helped you over the lockdown period?
Matt: I wanted to change the way my relationship with running and I’ve started stretching every single day, which has allowed me to be more active. And I have found myself getting fitter and fitter over the last year. I even did a marathon by myself the other week just to see if I could do it and get myself back into the groove again. I really enjoyed doing that so hopefully I’ve got a few more challenges in methat I can look forward to.
7. How do you think running and forms of exercise have helped people through these challenging times?
Matt: I’ve always said that running is my form of meditation. So, when I go for a run, I forget all the worries that I have got. I start running and I manage to work through them. I think that other people find that exercise does that for them too. At RunThrough, one of the things we are always doing is promoting running as a way to get yourself feeling mentally fitter and stringer. Because we’ve been locked in our homes, one of things we can do is exercise. Going for a run is a perfect way to take exercise. You get to see the countryside, you get to see the birds and the bees, and enjoy being out there in the fresh air. The mental health benefits of running, as well as the physical benefits, are already well established. On event days, the ways we engage with our runners and speak with them embodies that. Getting and stretching your legs for a run, especially after lockdown, not only benefits your legs, but your whole body and you mind as well. The benefits affect millions of runners across the country and the whole RunThroughteam is very keen to play a role with this.
8. What’s the one thing you want someone to leave a RunThrough event thinking/feeling?
Matt: The team that stages RunThrough events, and also all the runners who take part, are all part of the wider RunThrough family. It’s ‘personal’! The welcome we offer is always a warm one and we really want people to enjoy their day. When people complete one of our events, we are always glad when they head home feeling they have enjoyed a fantastic day, among friends and ‘family’, have spent a few hours doing something that improves their physical health and mental wellbeing and knowing that the next time they turn up at one of our events, the welcome we’ll offer them will be even warmer.
9. What are you looking forward to most in 2021?
Matt: I’m hoping that we can have a normal year in terms of racing again and doing what we do best. Personally, I’d like to take on a few more challenges. And with RunThrough we’d like to keep advancing what we are doing. We’ve got some fantastic events coming up, like at Hampton Court Palace where we have a 10k booked. Our RunThrough Hampton Court Half Marathon has been re-arranged for September. Our 10k there now in November will be a fantastic event at the Royal Palacewill be a brilliant one. On a personal note, during the rest of 2021, I am also looking forward to finalising plans for my wedding because I am getting married next year. Our wedding has, sadly, had to be postponed three times because of Covid but we have now set our wedding day for next summer.
10. What else can we expect from the Runthrough team this year?
Matt: RunThrough’s success is all about the fantastic team we have here, who are in my view the best events team in the UK. We couldn’t achieve the success we have without them. Our team is currently expanding because we are always looking for passionate people who love running to come and work with us. So, if you are one of those people who love running and love events and getting out there then we’d love you to come and join us. Please email us on jobs@runthrough.co.uk.
• Matt Wood, a former International distance runner, is Co-Founder of RunThrough, the UK’s leading mass-participation running events and endurance sports organiser. RunThrough plans to help host 200 races during the next year and you can find details of all their forthcoming events on https://www.runthrough.co.uk/
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