The World's Favourite Run

In 2016 the Great North Run had truly arrived as an event of global sports significance. It was already not only Britain’s biggest mass participation event, but also the world’s biggest half marathon with 57,000 successful applicants. An event that facilitated millions of pounds being raised for charity, at the elite end of the field headlines had been made in recent years by global heavyweights (though light in stature) Haile Gebrselassie, Mo Farah and Kenenisa Bekele taking on each other in the race to South Shields.

To reinforce the global stature of the event, I presented an idea that was to catch the imagination of all involved and provide me with an excellent geography lesson. The mission? To have more nations represented in a single mass participation event than ever before. With 193 UN recognised nations, it was a huge challenge but one which gathered momentum as the recruitment process started, the criteria being that the individual had to have been born in the country they represented.

With strong media interest and support throughout, the recruitment campaign gained traction and was to become a central theme of the live four-hour BBC broadcast on the day of the event. The result? An incredible 178 nations were represented at the Great North Run, comfortably beating the previous record and leading to coverage from Palau to Portugal and New Zealand to Nigeria.

The world’s biggest half marathon became the world’s favourite run.

The impact of the initiative reached far and wide, with the then United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon describing the half marathon as a ‘‘true celebration of humanity, commitment and personal achievement’’ and a “truly global celebration.”

And in the following year, in part buoyed by the impact of the coverage nationally and internationally, there were a record number of applications for the Great North Run.

"" “Every runner's experience is unique, but the finishing line symbolises for all the culmination of hard work and determination. Communal activities and sports are good for people, communities and society as a whole. They can make an important contribution to development and peace. The Great North Run is an example of how sport empowers, motivates and inspires. It does all this while raising money for many worthwhile causes.” Ban Ki-moon, Former Secretary General, United Nations

The Saheli Women's Group

One of the most remarkable and rewarding experiences in my career has been the privilege of meeting and working with a group of ladies in Birmingham. From a mainly Muslim background and certainly not runners, I worked with their remarkable community leader Naseem Akthar to motivate, inspire and encourage them to take part in a half marathon.

It involved a lot of listening and learning, to try and comprehend the physical and cultural challenges they faced, but the rewards were incredible. To see the 17 ladies crossing the finish line, their faces a picture of joy and achievement, was an image I will never forget.

It was a story that captured the imagination of so many, including the national and regional media who celebrated their achievements. And it opened the eyes of many more people… the Great Birmingham 10k is now regarded as the most culturally diverse mass participation running event in the UK.

"" "From the moment I met David I knew our team of women, who had never run before in their lives, were in safe hands. He ensured our experience would become a moment we can relive again and again. David got to know our individual stories and what the achievement would mean as role models for our community and city. He generated so much publicity and we even got featured on the BBC Breakfast show. Ensuring we felt safe and supported at all times, he went above and beyond in understanding the cultural needs of the group and the anxiety some felt about being in the media spotlight. He gets to the heart of any story and we wouldn’t be without him." Naseem Akthar, Saheli Hub Chief Executive

The University of Manchester

In 2015, an exploratory meeting with the University of Manchester came at exactly the right time for The Great Run Company and led to an inspiring story of participation.

The University were keen to address the widespread issue of many students and staff being inactive, whilst recruiting entrants for the Great Manchester Run, Europe’s biggest 10k running event, was for the first time starting to become more challenging in the face of increased regional competition.

With the high-profile reputation the Great Manchester enjoyed in the city, the University were interested in entering a sizable team into the event.

It was an opportunity to work with the institution on a wider basis and develop a campaign with them to focus on both physical and mental well-being.

Working closely with their sports development team, we created an activity toolkit – offering motivation and encouragement, training plans for all abilities, PR initiatives and digital support.

The initial year one target for the campaign was 500 students and staff. However, the actual number was in excess of 1,100, and the University of Manchester ‘purple wave’ was born. Such was the level of interest; I was able to secure coverage of the initiative in the BBC broadcast of the Great Manchester Run.

Over 40% of participants classed themselves as physically inactive before the campaign began, leading to the initiative winning an England Athletics grass roots participation award.

Over the next three years, continuing to work closely with the team at the University, we were able to grow numbers to almost 3,000 students and staff, also creating campaigns with Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Salford. The use of Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford in media activity helped provide another level of inspiration.

By 2019 20% of the entries at the Great Manchester Run came from these initiatives.

A template had been created that has been adopted by Universities in Bristol, Birmingham and Aberdeen, helping them champion physical and mental well-being, team spirit and achievement, whilst also delivering substantial numbers of paid entrants into Great Run events.

"" “Working with David on creating the major University ‘Purple Wave’ initiative was enjoyable and hugely impactful. His unwavering support in identifying opportunities, developing ideas, generating media coverage and linking connections proved invaluable in creating a sector leading event with nearly 3,000 participants taking part in the Great Manchester Run. I'll continue to work with David on future opportunities and would highly recommend him to others looking for similar support.” James Marenghi, Sport Programmes Manager, The University of Manchester