Sunday 5th February 2017 sees the running of the Cancer Research UK London Winter Run – a 10km race around central London, on closed roads, with snow, penguins and polar bears guaranteed.
A 10km run in February is always going to be a bit of a challenge, with training through the winter a struggle for most of us. Short days, inclement weather, and the general celebrations associated with the time of year can make the prospect of getting out and training ‘difficult’ to say the least.
The London Winter Run provides the perfect motivation to get you out and running through the tricky winter months. Set up as serious race, with fun around the edges, the route is full of the sights and sounds of London, taking in iconic locations, on closed roads. With no major hills to note the course will suit all abilities and ambitions.
Runners will start with a snow machine to blast them out of the start pens, and encounter a penguin party along the route, and finishing with a Polar Bear hug (for those that want it) and a well-deserved medal at the end of the race.
Last year the race attracted over 15,000 runners, of which two thirds were women. The entrants also featured 4,000 first time 10km runners, which must make this run unique in the current race calendar.

Tom Craggs is UK head coach for Saucony and TomTom and Cancer Research UK, and has a fantastic record of coaching all levels of athletes from beginners to elites. He has been working with Cancer Research to provide training plans and winter training tips to get runners to the start line fit, healthy, motivated and ready to run in February.
Top tips from Tom for finding motivation over the winter months, and not sabotaging your training by prioritising your lifestyle plan over you training plan are based around the broad principles of Planning, Patience and Progression.
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Think like a performance athlete, with aims, goals and a plan (not just hope!) to get better
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Have a training plan AND a lifestyle plan, the two need to be managed together
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Adapt the plan to fit your lifestyle… plan your campaign, plan your week, plan your day!
To help achieve the plan, Tom suggests:
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Getting out early! There are two 5 o’clocks in the day, and the first is less likely to be hijacked by the festive season.
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Dress up for the conditions. Don’t start your run cold, it’s never nice.
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Strip off at the end of the run. Change out of your sweaty clothes before you cool down whilst doing post run stretches or cool downs.
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Make a date, and run with friends or a group. Training is much easier when you are not on your own.
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Warm up! Make sure you do warm up adequately – and remember this can be done inside in the warm. Dynamic stretches and pre work out routines are key to preparing for a good workout.
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Set a goal. The Winter 10k is perfect for this. Train well, raise money, BUT have fun, and don’t take it too seriously!
You can enter the London Winter Run via the
website, where you will also have the chance to win a training trip to Switzerland. What’s not to like!