Over 700 runners dressed as Santas, aged from just four to over 80 years of age, turned Priory Park, Reigate into a sea of red and white on Sunday 15th December. The annual YMCA Santa Run event, raised over £4,000 to support the accommodation of young people in the district through our Life Change Fund.
Reigate & Banstead’s Mayor Councillor Eddy Humphreys and his wife Sarah provided unstinting support to the fun-packed event. Helped by a klaxon horn, they officially sounded the start of each race and were there to enthusiastically welcome the hundreds of smiling fundraisers as they returned from their one or three-mile runs.
People from across Surrey joined together in the light-hearted event, with participants having a broad range of abilities, from children in pushchairs to elite athletes. Several good-natured pet dogs on leads joined in too.
Prior to each race, fitness instructor Nikki Lempidaki encouraged runners to warm up for five minutes with her lively routines that made people dance and get into the Christmas spirit.
The races’ proceedings were announced by Julie Bourgeois, YMCA Fitness Centre Manager, who provided an uplifting commentary as fun runners returned from their races.
Every participant earned themselves a chunky metal medal, with the top achievers also winning a trophy presented by Eddy and Sarah Humphreys. Jessica Jupp (from Redhill) was the first girl over the one-mile line for the family race, while Henry Man (Reigate) triumphed for the boys.
In the adult three-mile run, Ellen Winn from Claygate who runs with Epsom Allsorts was the first woman over the line, while Harry Mullard from Reigate Priory Athletics Club was the fastest participant overall, swiftly followed by Alistair Watson (Wimbledon) and Gaj Sivadhas (Caterham). Harry Mullard recently achieved such an impressive Valencia Marathon time that he qualified for Championship entry at next year’s London Marathon. In this run, his secret weapon was an empty can of Coca-Cola balanced in his Santa hat, to keep it looking smart. He kept it there for the duration, in spite of his head receiving a few knocks.
YMCA East Surrey CEO Ian Burks was Master of Ceremonies for the day. He said, “The Santa Run is always a fun event. We are so grateful to all the families who have turned out today to help us get the festive season off to a fantastic start! Thank you also to the incredible people who volunteer their time – this event simply wouldn’t happen without them. The Santa Run is a great way to get fit and active with friends and family whilst raising funds for YMCA’s charitable work in our community.”
The Santa Run photos are now ready and free to view and download from https://www.flickr.com/photos/195522144@N05. All photos are free, but if you do download and would like to make a donation to our charitable work, we’d be very grateful: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/ymcasantarun
We’d love you to join us in 2025 for the YMCA Santa Run on Sunday 14th December and the annual YMCA Fun Run on Sunday 4th May – put the dates in your diaries now!
