Run For Heroes, started by Edinburgh woman, picks up the pace with new Faster 5K Friday challenge

Run For Heroes, the viral fundraising campaign that encourages people to run 5km, donate £5 and nominate five others, has kickstarted a new Faster 5K Friday challenge to raise further funds for care workers.
The last challenge, started by Olivia Strong, raised millionsThe last challenge, started by Olivia Strong, raised millions
The last challenge, started by Olivia Strong, raised millions

Faster 5K Friday has been launched in partnership with social fitness networking app, Strava, and encourages people to run 5K while adhering to social distancing guidelines, donate £5 and then try to beat their time every Friday over five consecutive weeks.

Over 26,000 runners have already signed up to take part in the challenge. Participants can keep track of their progress and share their routes on the Strava app and will earn a Run For Heroes badge each week that they complete the challenge.

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Those taking part are encouraged to donate £5 to The Care Workers Charity via the Virgin Money Giving page. The Care Workers Charity Coronavirus Emergency Fund supports carers at the frontline of the coronavirus crisis, who are struggling to keep up with the huge demands faced by the care sector. The fund provides financial grants for care workers who are forced to self-isolate due to COVID-19.

Run For Heroes was founded by a 27-year-old woman from Edinburgh, Olivia Strong, with the support of her friends and family. Over one million people have taken part in the Run For Heroes campaign which has raised over £5.4million for NHS Charities together. The run 5, donate 5, nominate 5 concept has now been mirrored in countries around the world and has been supported by celebrities including Sir Mo Farah, Ellie Goulding, Princess Eugenie, John Terry, Florence Pugh, Jamie Dornan, Laura Whitmore, Clara Amfo, Nick Grimshaw and many more.

Olivia, Founder of Run For Heroes says, “We wanted to take our 5K challenge one step further to support another worthy cause. We hope the Faster 5K Friday Strava challenge will motivate people to keep fit and try to improve their pace week by week, while doing their bit for our much-loved care workers who desperately need our help right now. If you haven’t joined in yet – now is the time to take part in our challenge.”

Simon Klima, Director of Local Marketing for Strava says: “We’re delighted to be collaborating with Run for Heroes to help raise funds for our incredible care workers. By signing up to the Faster 5K Friday Strava challenges, you can set yourself the goal of getting quicker every week for 5 weeks.

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“People keep people active, so we encourage you to invite your friends to take part, it’s more fun that way. All we ask is that whilst working to improve your 5K time, you also donate to the Care Workers Charity.”