Prizes galore at Chariots of Fire 2009

With plenty of prizes on offer at this year’s Chariots of Fire charity relay race, runners will have a great incentive to battle it out for the top spots in a variety of categories. 

Based on the famous film that celebrated the exploits of the 1924 British Olympic team, the event recreates the running course through Cambridge and now involves two and a half thousand runners. 

From all male, all female and mixed, to college and veteran team categories, there is no shortage of options for runners to choose from. This year sees the advent of a new category, with the veterans team now split into veteran male and veteran female. The fastest team in each category will receive a trophy to hold onto for the entire year, with their team name and race timing printed in the paper and event website the day after the event and possibly even their photograph!

 Another addition to the prizes this year is The Red Balloon charity cup for the fastest charity team, donated by one of last year’s supported charities. Charles Hewitson from event sponsors Hewitsons said, “As Chariots has grown into such an iconic event in the local community, it is a real honour for teams to be named the winner of a category. 

Many runners attach a real sense of achievement to giving the race their best shot in an attempt to win, especially for the overall fastest team who will receive the coveted Sir Arthur Marshall trophy.” “There is also a fun side to the event, as the team who provides the most laughter and entertainment for the crowds on the day is awarded the People’s Cup. In the past this has involved teams running in costumes of all different kinds!” All this is in aid of local mental health charity Cam-mind. 

The charity’s development manager Aly Anderson said, “Mental health problems can happen to anyone and will affect 1 in 4 people in this region at some point in their lives. Cam-mind’s services support people on their road to recovery from conditions such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. We offer a range of community-based projects, all designed to prevent isolation, provide social support and help re-build confidence.” 

The race takes place this year on Sunday 20 September, starting from Queens’ Green in Cambridge. If you wish to enter teams into the race you can register teams online on the "Enter" page of the Chariots website. For further information contact Hazel Kraus at hazelkraus@hewitsons.com or call 01223 461155.