Cricket star sets 2015 York marathon running
England and Yorkshire cricket star Ryan Sidebottom is used to opening the bowling. But on Monday (January 5) he switched sports to open the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon 2015.
Ryan – a key member of the Yorkshire team that won the County Championship for the first time in 13 years last season – launched the event at the club’s Headingley Stadium in Leeds.
On the same day places in the marathon were made available to people who had registered their details on a pre-sale list. Places go on general sale on Wednesday (January 7).
Both previous races have been a sell-out with 7,000 runners taking part last year.
Ryan described the Yorkshire Marathon as “one of the country’s top road races”.
“I know the crowds will turn out in force to cheer all the runners on. I hope all those taking part achieve their personal goals and I wish them all the very best of luck.”
– Ryan Sidebottom
Great causes
The marathon is part of the legacy of the late Jane Tomlinson, the amateur athlete who raised almost £2m for charity by tackling a series of epic challenges despite being diagnosed with incurable cancer.
Among those attending the 2015 launch were Mark and Helen Gallimore of York, whose four-year-old son, George, is currently undergoing treatment for cancer at Leeds General Infirmary.
Noemie Salvaudon, events fundraiser at Candlelighters, said:
“Each family with a child on treatment can also go on a Candlelighters holiday to Centre Parcs or caravanning once a year.”
Candlelighters is one of the 2015 marathon’s partner charities. The others are:
- Martin House Children’s Hospice
- Macmillan Cancer Support
- Yorkshire Cancer Research
- Parkinson’s UK
- the Haven
- CLIC Sargent
- St Leonard’s Hospice
- Sue Ryder, and
- the Jane Tomlinson Appeal.
The event is sponsored by Plusnet, the University of York, City of York Council, Yorkshire Post, the Asda Foundation, Marathon Talk and Run247.com.
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