Five years down the road and Jane’s lasting legacy looks set to run and run

THERE’S no doubt that Jane Tomlinson would have been chuffed. Five years after the Run For All was launched in Leeds as a not-for-profit organisation that would run fundraising events which would stand as her lasting legacy, those events are going from strength to strength, and more than 10,000 people will set off through the centre of Jane’s home city for the 2011 Leeds 10k Run For All this weekend.

Jane knew her life was limited – and she died from cancer just three months after she started the first RFA in 2007 – but in the years before her death she tirelessly raised £1.85m for children’s and cancer charities through a series of arduous physical challenges.

She also left behind her a vehicle which would allow others across the community to raise money for causes close to their hearts and to share the excitement and fulfilment that she had experienced as she finished each run, ride or swim.

Since its inception the RFA has raised more than £2m for charities nationally and locally, and the original Leeds 10k has now blossomed into five events – two more 10k runs in York and Hull, and the Swim for All and Walk for All. On race day in Leeds this Sunday there will be 750 corporate runners and 665 people will run who have signed up for all three 10ks on a season ticket. Each runner or group of friends/colleagues doing the run together has their own reason – so the human wave making its way around the city encompasses up to 10,000 different stories. Some have chosen their own charity; many others are fundraising for one of the Leeds 10k partner charities: Martin House Children’s Hospice, Macmillan, Leeds Children’s Hospital Appeal, Alzheimer’s Society, Yorkshire Cancer Research and the Jane Tomlinson Appeal.

This year’s participants include well know faces such as former rugby international Matt Dawson, former Leeds United star Eddie Gray and a troupe of Emmerdale stars. Also lining up will be Jane and Mike Tomlinson’s daughter Rebecca and some of Jane’s brothers and sisters.

Behind the scenes will be Mike Tomlinson, who has been at the helm of the RFA since the beginning, and a team of volunteers who make the event possible by giving their time. Some of them are involved all year round, some put in a few weeks, and others turn out on the day to help ensure that everyone has a safe and successful run.

“It’s hard to contemplate that 2011 is already the fifth year of the Leeds 10k, says Mike. “So far the event has raised more money than Jane did while she was alive. As always there is an inherent sadness for us as a family but the huge sums raised are reason enough to look forward to the next five years. It’s been fantastic to see the runs growing year after year and how much enthusiasm people have for the new events as well,” says Mike. “The Run For All seems to have been taken to the hearts of Yorkshire people and inspired great loyalty, both among those who take part and those who give their money. I love hearing people’s stories and seeing how many groups get together to spur each other on, for example there are 30 people running together from St George’s Crypt in Leeds. You feel that camaraderie, and how runners help each other through the more difficult parts of the course.

“We couldn’t run the events at all without the efforts of the people who help to organise and marshall and stay behind to clear up. Most of the 600 are volunteers; some of them give up time during the year and others offer their time on race day. We really don’t take any of it for granted at all. I take my hat off to all of them because, as I say, we wouldn’t have an event at all without them and they’re also really nice people.”

Mike says a great part of the satisfaction of the day lies in seeing everyone have a good time. “Yes, some people are out to run a very good time, and others are just happy to finish the 10k, however long it takes them. The run is for everyone who wants to have a go, but what brings everyone together is that they choose to do it for a good cause.

“The way the events have grown and the money that’s being made each year for charity would have made Jane very proud. On the day it’s nice to have a great event, get everyone around the course without accidents and see their faces as they cross the finish line, knowing they’ve done themselves and the charities proud.”

Mike and the organisers of the RFA events are looking forward to being able to announce in the not-too-distant future that the fundraising efforts of the people who take part will have nudged the proceeds close to the next million mark. “These are difficult times for people financially, so the fact that things are ticking over so well for us and people are still willing to give when many haven’t much to spare shows tremendous generosity.”

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The Run for All starts at 9am from The Headrow, Leeds, on Sunday, June 19. There are a few remaining places in the event. To enter go to www.runforall.com. Details of the route and road closures will be published in the Yorkshire Post later in the week and are also available on the RFA website.

Caroline Roberts: Big boost for children’s hospice

CAROLINE is an events manager at Martin House in Wetherby, which was the first children’s hospice in Yorkshire. It costs £4.5m a year to run the hospice, which has nine children’s bedrooms and six for teenagers, and Martin House is dependent on donations to keep it open.

“We meet Mike and the team regularly and they keep us updated on developments. On average 400 people do the run in aid of Martin House each year, including 150 places we have bought directly then marketed to fundraisers.

“In the first four years, runners raised £250,000 for us, which has been amazing. Before the event we get involved in media stories, organising newsletters and recruiting 50 volunteers to help marshall on the day.

“Our team, including volunteers from the hospice, is there in a marquee near the starting point from around 7am on the day. We provide fruit and water to our runners after they finish, and we talk to some of the crowds who are milling about enjoying the atmosphere.

“I love meeting people on race day who have emailed us about why they are running. It’s great to put faces to those stories. We are lucky to have a faithful group of runners supporting our work for children and young people with progressive, life-limiting illnesses.”

Paul Beresford: Clearing the way for city’s big day

Paul, who is from Leeds, is captain of Rothwell Harriers running club and also course manager for the Run For All 10k events. He got to know Jane and Mike Tomlinson in 2000 through the running club. In 2005 the Tomlinsons asked Paul to meet them to discuss their idea for the Leeds 10k, and Run For All snowballed from there. Paul, who is an engineering estimator, climbed on board to organise the route of the first Leeds run, which involved liaison with the city’s council, police, traffic management and transport heads. Each year 254 marshalls are needed along the course, as well as 50 to staff the start/finish line.

“This year we’ve changed the route slightly, so that had to be okayed. On the day The Headrow is closed from 4am. Just before the run starts I head off in the lead car with the clock on top of it. The car and outriders help to ensure the roads are clear before the runners get there. Before the end, we turn off at Albion Street, so the participants have a clear run at the finish. The aim for me is to get everyone back safely.

“Afterwards organisers and volunteers muck in to clear up any mess made. My involvement does eat into family time, but it’s so satisfying to see everyone’s faces as they finish and to know the good we’re doing.”

Jon Hammond: Man behind the running commentary

JON is a broadcaster and communications consultant from Holmfirth who acts as compere for the Leeds 10k Run for All each year. This means that he is stationed near the Town Hall, keeping the gathering crowd entertained before and during the run.

“I am briefed beforehand so I know a fair bit about the runners. Part of my job is to wind them up a bit before they get going, helping to ensure the race goes off well. I also interview any celebrities who are taking part as well as some of the other runners. It’s quite a bizarre sight, looking down the Headrow just before the run starts, as it is jammed with people as far as the eye can see.

“I have to keep talking. In another world people with white jackets would come and take me away if I talked to myself like that, but it seems to go down well. As the runners arrive back I see them from the stage and can mention specific ones, particularly those in silly costumes. All ages and kinds of people are there, and it’s good to be able to pick them out to encourage them and whip the crowd up around them. I do it to give something back. I’m not a runner, but I give with my vocal muscles. In life at the moment many people are selfish, but on this day people are being wonderfully selfless. It’s a day with many special moments, and it’s great to be part of it all.”

Colette Thompson: Colleague who rose to the challenge

COLETTE, from Leeds, worked alongside Jane Tomlinson for years as a radiographer at Leeds General Infirmary and knows the family well. She’ll be running the 10k and adding hundreds of pounds in sponsorship to the £1,000 she has already raised for the Jane Tomlinson Appeal.

“Jane was such an inspiration. She would have chemo then get straight back to working part-time, working harder than some of the people who were full-timers. She was a really good friend, and when I saw the challenges she faced to raise money for charity I thought ‘if she can do that, the least I can do is do the 10k’. You don’t have to be a great runner – I wasn’t and still am not – and with two small children it can be difficult to get out and run. I started with a couple of gentle half-hour runs a week and took it from there. I built up to doing eight kilometres.

“My target on Sunday will be an hour, as I did my best time so far of 61 minutes in the Hull event in May.

“Sometimes thinking about Jane while training makes it hard because I miss her, but having seen her work so hard and do such tremendous things also gives you the will to keep going. On the day the atmosphere is wonderful, and the crowd helps to pull you round by shouting encouragement.”

Stephanie Millward: Emotional memories of a friend who was inspired by Jane

STEPHANIE, a web designer from Ilkley and her friend Kim Robson did “pottering little jogs” then got more serious by running in shorter charity races before attempting the first Leeds RFA 10k in 2007. Kim had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 but she was determined to take part. Throughout chemotherapy, clinical trials and sickness Kim and Stephanie kept their training up.

“Kim was inspired by Jane and was determined to take part in the first Run For All, so a team of us did it together. The last one Kim did was in 2009, when she was very poorly. She died in November that year at the age of 45, leaving her husband Simon and children Jack and Ava. It was a terrible blow to all of us, but she was a great example to everyone. She said that running helped to clear her head, although it was hard. It also gave her a sense of purpose. In 2010, 16 of us did it in her memory, but this year there are some injuries and there are just five of us. We’ve raised £10k so far for the Yorkshire Cancer Centre and Marie Curie Cancer Care and friends and family are very generous every year. I keep running because of the physical benefits and because giving yourself a challenge helps you mentally, too. On the day we’ll start together and be very emotional when we get over the line, remembering Kim’s courage.

“She had a very aggressive form of cancer and yet she found the strength inside her and the physical stamina to run. For anyone who’s experiencing illness or tragedy even a good walk can help you to deal with it. We’ll miss her desperately, but it will be cathartic.”