ABOUT THE RUN
A gruelling yet fun event for all abilities and ages. Choose either the 10k or 5k distance. Run on mainly hard packed sand from The Winter Gardens in Blackpool to just beyond St Anne’s Pier and back again. It’s a great laugh and we guarantee you will finish with a smile on your face.
Trail shoes are recommended, however standard running shoes can also be used. The route has been measured using a Garmin. Due to the terrain, an official measurement cannot be performed, but it is spot on.
The incredible benefits of running on sand…
1. You burn 30 per cent more calories! Running on sand makes you work harder. With each stride, your feet sink a little, forcing you to exert more energy than running on tarmac, and burning around 30 per cent more calories.
2. Regular sand running can help prevent injuries! Running on sand without trainers forces your smaller, stabilising muscles in the knees, ankles and feet to work harder than running on roads. Therefore, continual beach running and strengthening of such muscles may help to prevent common road injuries.
3. Beaches are a natural assault courseTo put your agility to the test, jump over small piles of driftwood or pools of water, and race the incoming tide for short spurts of speed work.
4. Give your joints a break. A study by Griffith University, in Queensland, Australia, found that landing on soft sand increases the time in which our feet sink into it. The overall stress of pounding on the lower joints, such as ankles and knees, is reduced. Sand running also allows you to give your calf muscles a good workout without the risk of any impact injuries, and can also reduce the risk of shin splints.