Plans have been unveiled for the 2022 Durham City Run Festival, as part of a summer of sports and cultural events in County Durham.

As the county makes final preparations to submit its bid to be named UK City of Culture 2025, organisers of the festival are highlighting the major role that sport can play in promoting culture. This year’s Durham City Run Festival will coincide with Durham BRASS Festival and will take place on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 July, with events throughout the city and at Durham University venues.

Organised by Events of the North, in partnership with Durham County Council and Durham University, the 2022 Durham City Run Festival will see the return of the popular Durham City Run 10K and 5K races, along with the Run Like a Legend Mile, and Paula Radcliffe’s Families on Track. In addition, in conjunction with the university, this year’s festival will include a series of themed runs, talks and interactive workshops. During the same week (from 8-17 July), Durham BRASS Festival will be taking place and will have a presence at Durham City Run Festival events. Both festivals feature in the county’s bid for Durham to be named UK City of Culture 2025, highlighting the important role that sport plays in County Durham’s cultural landscape.

Big role in UK City of Culture 2025 bid

Steve Cram, Durham City Run Festival founder and Durham 2025 ambassador, comments: “When we launched the first full Durham City Run Festival in 2019, our aim was to provide a showcase for both running itself, and for every aspect of the community that surrounds it. Our themed runs explored the culture of Durham and we’re so pleased to be able to introduce those elements again this year. Sport is embedded in the culture of our region and it’s brilliant that it will be playing such a big role in the county’s UK City of Culture 2025 bid. We’re really excited about how our events will have the chance to shine alongside BRASS in July and we know that this will be the start of introducing even more new and creative aspects to the Durham City Run Festival as we head towards 2025.”

Cultural destination

Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “The Durham City Run Festival has become a firm favourite in the county’s summer events calendar, with people able to watch or take part in many different running events over the two days. The festival also coincides with a fantastic line-up of live music and entertainment as the ever-popular Durham BRASS Festival makes its return, giving visitors a flavour of some of the plans in our UK City of Culture bid, which celebrate the links between arts and sport.

“Hosting prestigious events such as these cements our status as a cultural destination for visitors as we prepare to formally submit County Durham’s bid to be named UK City of Culture 2025 next week. We can’t wait to welcome runners and spectators to the county for what promises to be a brilliant weekend.”

A hit with residents and visitors alike

Quentin Sloper, director of student enrichment at Durham University, adds: “Whatever your level of ability and interest, Durham is one of the UK’s top universities for sport and physical activity. With over 10,000 members of the local community using our facilities each year, we are proud of the role we continue to play in supporting sport and physical activity within the city, the county and beyond.

“Nevertheless, there is still much more we want to do and that includes playing our part in ensuring that exciting and large-scale events such as this can take place in our city. We’re thrilled to be working with Events of the North once again and we have some exciting plans to grow the event together. We are very much looking forward to announcing more of this year’s programme, which we’re confident will make the Durham City Run Festival even more of a hit with local residents, visitors and our students, as the date approaches.”

The official charity partner for the 2022 Durham City Run Festival is St. Cuthbert’s Hospice, which is based in the city. The hospice will recruit runners from its own team and from among supporters, who will be taking part in the various runs in the programme to raise money for the charity.

Further information

Places on the Durham City Run Festival events can be booked via the Durham City Run website. Entries for the Durham City Run 5K (open to those aged 11 and above) cost £16, while the 10K (ages 15 and above) costs £24 for members of affiliated clubs (£26 for unaffiliated runners). The Run Like a Legend Mile costs £8 and it’s £45 to enter a family of three, four or five into Paula’s Families on Track.

For all of the latest news about the 2022 Durham City Run Festival, visit the Durham City Run website, follow @eventsofthenorth_ on Instagram, @eventsOTN on Twitter, or search for the event on Facebook.