- Participants of all ages and abilities to take part in the Vitality Westminster Mile and Vitality London 10,000
- 10th anniversary of Vitality Westminster Mile on Saturday 23 September to host NBA Trophy
- Runners to take part for their mental health and wellbeing at the Vitality London 10,000 on Sunday 24 September
- Vitality Wellness Festival in Green Park to host activations and welcome families and friends
Thousands of runners will take to the streets of central London this weekend to take part in the Vitality Westminster Mile and Vitality London 10,000.
The weekend’s festival of running begins with the Vitality Westminster Mile on Saturday 23 September, when participants of all ages and abilities take part in a lap of St James’s Park and finish in style in front of Buckingham Palace. Among those are young basketball fans who will be taking part in the first ever Jr. NBA Wave.
It’s followed by the Vitality London 10,000, which this year promotes the mental health and wellbeing benefits of activity, with an estimated 15,000 runners taking on an iconic course in central London which finishes, like the Vitality Westminster Mile, in front of Buckingham Palace.
Landmark edition of the Vitality Westminster Mile in 2023
The Vitality Westminster Mile enables people of all ages and abilities to run, jog, walk or be pushed around the celebrated one-mile distance in what will be the 10th anniversary of vitalitywestminstermile.co.uk one of the most successful Olympic legacy events.
More than 50,000 people have participated in the event since 2013 and a whole new generation will be inspired to take part this year thanks to the introduction of the Jr. NBA Wave, which is free to enter for 11 to14-year-olds (until Wednesday 20 September) and is supported and promoted by Basketball England to junior basketball players and schools in London.
Every participant in the dedicated waves will get a free Jr. NBA T-shirt and an NBA gift bag at the Jr. NBA Zone that will be located at Green Park, which is part of the family-friendly, all-day Vitality Wellness Festival. The Larry O’Brien Trophy will also be on display offering fans the chance for a selfie with the NBA’s championship trophy.
To register for the Jr. NBA Wave at the Westminster Mile, click here.
The event begins at 9:30 with three adult waves before the first of two junior waves. Most of the participants are running with their family, with a total of 11 waves before the wheelchair wave and walking wave.
#DoItForYou and run for your mental health and wellbeing at Vitality London 10,000
On Sunday 24 September, around 15,000 runners will take part in the Vitality London 10,000 on an iconic route which travels past some of London’s most famous landmarks, including Admiralty Arch, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Bank of England, Somerset House, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, before finishing in front of Buckingham Palace.
This year, participants are encouraged to get active for their mental health and wellbeing, and to #DoItForYou. The well-established mental health and wellbeing benefits of activity include improving self-esteem, stimulating chemical changes in the brain to boost mood, improving sleep and managing stress and anxiety. In 2023, the #DoItForYou campaign is being supported by the World Federation for Mental Health, the founder of World Mental Health Day, which is on Tuesday 10 October.
As part of #DoItForYou, hundreds of participants will be running in the Run to Overcome Wave – the final wave of the day – in association with Mental Health Mates, where participants can run, jog or walk with the primary objective to have fun and to feel the benefits of being active. Runners in this wave include campaigners Richard Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori, personality Scott Mitchell, actor Jake Wood, influencer Shareefa J, and a group of female Iranian refugees running for Coopah's Refugee Run Club who are taking part in their first mass participation event.
Around the country this week, hundreds are also taking part in the virtual Vitality London 10,000. This event can be completed from anywhere and at any time between Saturday 16 and Sunday 24 September.
The first wave of the Vitality London 10,000 begins at 10:00, with registered club runners competing in the club competition. Male and female runners will compete to win separate prize funds totalling almost £3,000 each, with the top three fastest times from each club will be combined to create a cumulative team time. The final wave of the day will depart at 10:50.
Jason Ochoa, Event Lead for the Vitality Weekend, said: “We cannot wait to welcome people of all ages and abilities to take part in the Vitality Westminster Mile and the Vitality London 10,000.
“The Vitality Westminster Mile is one of the most successful Olympic legacy events and has inspired young people to get out and be active. The community aspect of this event is truly uplifting and, whether running for fun or with a goal in mind, there really is something for everyone.
“The same is true of the Vitality London 10,000, which takes in the beautiful sights of the capital and finishes in front of Buckingham Palace. The stories we have heard from participants that are running for their mental health, whether it be the virtual run or through the streets of London, are truly inspiring.”
Over the course of the weekend is the Vitality Wellness Festival, where participants, friends and family can relax together and enjoy the activities on offer in Green Park.
These include the ever-popular Vitality Tumbleator – the world-famous giant treadmill, Smoothie Bikes, the chance to shoot some hoops with the NBA, and other sports taster sessions for all ages.