A giant Mirrored sculpture of RUN, by internationally-renowned artist Monica Bonvicini, is situated on the plaza of the 6,500-capacity Copper Box, the new name for the London 2012 Handball Arena. The focus of the world will be on London during the Summer, and as Run! is gathering momentum in the Capital opportunities that the project has to offer are limitless. There were some very encouraging performances at The Olympic Stadium over the weekend as the test events began to wrap up but also some more encouraging news for the Run! Project as some Activators and Run! Participants were involved in the true dress rehearsal.

The Newham Run! Gamesmakers took part in the test event with Run! Activator Coral Nourrice and Run! Coach Sheila Poleon. Team Leader, Coral said ‘The test event gave the team a great opportunity to understand their role as Kit Carriers. They fully enjoyed their time at the Olympic Stadium and I was so proud of our team, their dedication and commitment to their duties was very commendable’.

The University of East London Athletics club, one of Run! key partners and new club set up by the project demonstrated a number of impressive performances at the BUCS test event. Our very own Brent Run! Activator Andre Fernandez competed for UEL in the 400m finishing in 26th position out of 68 with a time of 50.70 on Saturday. Andre said; ‘The stadium was amazing, every little detail was tended to. Warm up track was well laid, the walk from first to final call was well mapped and looked good too. The track was fast, smooth and a joy to run on.’ Prior to the Run! Activator being in post in Newham there was no Athletics team entering BUCS for UEL, the club has come a long way since the partnership with the Newham & Essex Beagles and East End Road Runners. Through the Run! Activator support UEL now have an established committee and are able to send teams along to the BUCS with access to coaching expertise across all event groups, and use of the indoor and outdoor athletics facilities at Terrance McMillan Athletics Stadium. Current members include BUCS medalists Zara Hohn (100m hurdles) who reached the 2012 BUCS finals at a time of 14.09, as well as the fast improving Lumar Sylvester (200m) who took bronze in the 200m finals with a time of 21.51, Matthew Baptiste threw an impressive 12.70m and Run! Participant Marvin Sinclair jumped 12.80m in the triple jump on Friday evening. Jeffrery Lawal-Balogun, who boasts an impressive 200m personal best of 20.38, also studied at UEL. The club, however, caters for all levels and abilities. The integration with local clubs allows students to find a training group that suits current level and aspirations. Through the Run! partnership if students feel that they are not quite ready to join the club, UEL Sports offers jogging sessions and Try a Sport 365 sessions for every standard linked to Run England Membership. For 2012/13 in association with ASICS, UEL will offer scholarships worth £5000 to high performance T&F or Cross Country athletes who are looking to reach the highest level in their sport.

Tower Hamlets Run! participant Natalie Gower competed in the Women’s 200m T36 Final at the Disability Athletics Grand Prix on Monday and completed the race in a respectful 6th place in 46.63. Her coach Andrew Hall was on hand during the warm up and trackside to offer key support and tips for Natalie. Natalie has been training at the Queen Marys University sessions, set up by Run! Activator Nicole Evans, Nicole explains the opportunities on offer for disabled participants in the borough here;

Run! work experience student Yasmin Goalter achieved a PB in the 15,000m Semi Finals clocking a time of 4:43.89 on Sunday, This is Yasmins third time on the Stadium track after participating in the first ever Olympic Park Run in March.

London Development Manager Bob Smith and Run! Project Manager Rhian Horlock were also at the Test Events to support the communications team in interviewing the Athletes and taking pictures of the event. See Bobs interview with Jess Judd winner of the UKA 800M with a time of 2.02;

Run! Project Manager Rhian said; ‘Over the weekend we witnessed athletics at its very best! Run! Activator involvement and participation was a spectacular addition to an action packed weekend of athletics right here in London. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Activators, Gamesmakers and participants to be a part of the greatest show on earth and inspire the younger generation to leave a lasting legacy.’

Follow @londonathletics

Attachment	Size
576747_10151672819560026_557645025_24063718_451332461_n.jpg	67.05 KB