The first Leeds Dock relay event took place in 2019, and as a result of how well the event was received it was decided that this would become an annual event. Then 2020 happened and a small matter of a global pandemic stood in our way, so we were very keen to have the event back up and running in 2021.

Importantly Active Leeds have worked really hard to influence the physical environment at Leeds Dock and we have built capacity by co-creating a range of activities and events in the area – The creation of its own Sports Club offering Running, Cycling and Kayaking has been a huge success-  it really is a unique spot to get active.

The event took place down at Leeds Dock on Thursday 19^th August, the Royal Armouries supported the event by allowing access to the square for the event start and finish Expo. Allied London – the landowners of the dock also greatly supported the event by helping with promotion, access, security and use of the facilities. Leeds GoodGym also provided a great support to the event, with advertising it as one of their community missions in order to help with course marshalling.

This year saw the return of just a single open race, and we increased the capacity of numbers to allow more teams from across the city to enter. The event format remained the same, with teams of up to 4 people tasked with completing as many laps of the approximate 1 mile course in a one hour time frame. Tokens were given to team members after completing a lap, and taken back to the rest of team to collect and be counted at the end of the race.

The event attracted the attention of various local running clubs such as South Leeds Lakers, Roundhay Runners, Crossgate Harriers and a number of corporate teams from businesses across the city made for a vibrant atmosphere. The nights format also meant that the event was very inclusive and allowed for a range of different abilities all to be taking part together.

After a difficult 18 months and previous lack of access to bigger capacity local events, it was fantastic to see so many people taking part in a safe inspiring way. The event brought together people from all corners of the City – who all donated to support the development and establishment of the new running club Recovery Runners – who are aiming to support those struggling or recovering from an addiction through the medium of running. More information about the Recovery Runners can be seen here.

The event wouldn’t have been able to be a success without the support from all the staff and volunteers who gave up their time to help – so a big thank you to you all!

We have had some great feedback for the event, and we look forward to the next event in 2022!

“The 8 people I came with loved it and we will definitely be making this an annual event. The marshals/organisation/atmosphere were all great 😊”