Scores of runners raced across 10 mile routes in London, participating remotely in a race known as the Cabbage Patch Invisible 10 and raising just over £2.000.
The Stragglers Running Club (SRC) in Kingston organised the virtual event over the weekend of October 17-18 to raise money for selected charities that would have benefited from the original public race, with runners using tracking apps to record and upload their times.
Simon Webb, the SRC Communications officer, said: “The big thing to highlight is the donations, which by the way were voluntary donations, not mandatory, and raised £2030.”
An entry fee would normally be required to cover costs and be split between the chosen charities MDS UK Patient Support Group and Clarendon School. However, as the race this year was held remotely, entry was free and donations encouraged.
‘A Flagship Event’
Clarendon school is for pupils aged four to 16 with moderate learning difficulties and additional complex needs.
The MDS UK Patient Support Group is a blood cancer charity based in Kings College Hospital London that aims to raise awareness of MDS and support patients with Bone Marrow failure.
Russell Cook, the Deputy Chairman of the MDS UK Patient Support Group, participated in the virtual event running along the river Thames, 10 years on from having his third and final bone marrow transplant, an anniversary that “never figured in my expectations,” he said.
Cook achieved a personal best time and said he was extremely grateful to the Stragglers Running Club for their support.
“The Cabbage Patch remains our flagship event and it’s one event I hope to do again and again!” he said.
About the Cabbage Patch 10
The race, formed in 1982 by the landlord of the Cabbage Patch pub in Twickenham, has previously boasted over a thousand participants, including Richard Nerurkar who set a British 10 mile record on the course in 1993 – running with a time of 46:02.
Due to Covid-19 restricting the gatherings of large groups of people, the SRC offered a virtual equivalent of the famous Cabbage Patch 10, naming it the Cabbage Patch Invisible 10.
Speaking before the event, Simon Webb said: “There are people who have done it for years and there will be some, for whom the idea of just doing something vaguely related to the Cabbage Patch 10 this weekend, will be really important to them.
“So if there are 100 runners and we have enabled that for them then that’s great.”
Overall 167 runners, including 33 SRC members, took part, grateful for the chance to race.
