Perkins Great Eastern Run, 11 October 2015

Everyone knows the Perkins Great Eastern Run. For one day in October the event takes over Peterborough, with thousands lining the streets to cheer the participants on. ‘It is the biggest sporting event in the city,’ says Race Director Annette Joyce. ‘It closes down a lot of the roads – almost 200 junctions – but we have so much support from residents and the business community, and there’s a real sense of excitement on the day’

What is perhaps most unusual about the PGER – and which certainly adds to the sense of excitement – is that it passes right through the city centre. ‘Not many cities would take that bold step of closing their centres down,’ says Annette. For Council Leader Marco Cereste, this has deep significance: ‘I think all these events need to be in the city centre, because the city centre is the heart of the city, and if that is functioning well then the rest of the city will, too.’

An interesting analogy – and entirely fitting given that promoting fitness is a major part of the event. ‘I’m a great advocate of trying to get people into sport and health,’ says Annette, ‘whether that be through Anna’s Hope Fun Run, or moving up to the half marathon. We want to grow the race, but we also want to grow the Peterborough audience, so they celebrate health and their city on that day.’

“IT’S HUGELY IMPORTANT TO PETERBOROUGH for lots of reasons: it encourages a lot of local people to get fit and to keep fit; it brings in all sorts of people from elsewhere, which is a great thing for our city, and it puts Peterborough on the map, as a major annual event. I think it’s fantastic, and Perkins are marvellous to continue sponsoring it.”
Marco Cereste, Leader of Peterborough City Council

So, what is it like to actually run it? Of course, some people who run the PGER are pretty fit and healthy already – an inspiration for the rest of us. One such participant is Lisa Rennison, a personal trainer who has been coaching super-marathon runner Darren Grigas in preparation for the epic cross-Sahara Marathon des Sables in April. Yet even she felt the flutter of nerves when running it for the first time.

‘I’d actually never run the full distance,’ she admits. ‘I’d done ten miles, but I’d never done the full half marathon. But the euphoria I felt, being in the crowd, everyone cheering you on, the crowd clapping… I actually went a little bit too fast in the beginning as I got a bit carried away, but I never stopped, even when I had a bit of pain in my knee. The last hundred metres I sprinted. You get energy from the people and that keeps you going. It just made me feel amazing.’

“THE PERKINS GREAT EASTERN RUN has always been a special event for Anna’s Hope and our supporters. This year was extra special as it was the first year of the Anna’s Hope Fun Run. The local community, schools and businesses have been great supporters of Anna’s Hope and last year was no exception. It’s always a pleasure to see all those runners who have raised funds visit the Anna’s Hope stand at the end of the race with their medal round their necks and a big smile on their face. We are so proud of everyone who challenges themselves and raises money for our charity and other charities.”

Carole Hughes, Anna’s Hope

Lisa plans to take part again this year. In contrast, Peterborough City Councillor Gavin Elsey (currently Cabinet Member for Street Scene, Waste Management, and Communications) was, by his own admission, not particularly fit when he first took the plunge. ‘I was 44, and had never run a half marathon or anything close to it. But at the time, I was Cabinet Member with responsibility for Sport and Leisure, and it was decided that I should put my money where my mouth is! I believe I was the first current councillor to actually compete. So, I accepted the challenge and started training. Initially I went out training with Annette Joyce, who is now the Race Director, and got myself fit enough to actually survive the course, which is always preferable!’

He, too, approached the event with apprehension, having never run the full distance. ‘I had some nerves when I turned up on the starting line, but the organisation was fantastic, and there was a real sense of camaraderie from the other people who were running, which was quite overwhelming. It made you feel you weren’t the only person doing it for the first time. My overriding memory was the number of people lining the street to cheer you on, to make you feel they were rooting for.. [CONT]