In May, a few of us here at Frank, took part in the Great Manchester 10k race.
There were a few reasons why the team wanted to take part in this great cause. First, the team haven’t been regularly working in the office and seeing each other regularly since pre-pandemic, and this gave us a great opportunity to get together and have a good time – in our home city! There were four of us running, Cameron, Nayem, Karen and Jamie, as well as a few others who came along on their weekend to show support.
Another reason was the race was taking part in Manchester, amazing for much more than just being the home of Frank! The event has built an enviable reputation over the years with some of the top runners in the world competing, including Eilish McColgan, who won the ladies 10k. Spirits were high, the atmosphere was incredible, and Manchester came out in force cheering on all the runners and riders.
Finally, this gave us a chance, as a company, to band together and support something that means a lot to us. We chose to raise money for The Trussell Trust, a charity which helps food banks provide food to people who the most in need, which in the cost of living crisis, is hitting so many. Through JustGiving, we raised £1,481 to smash through our ambitious £1,000 goal! That money is going directly to foodbanks across the country, and we really hope that it’s helping someone, somewhere, through the tough climate that we are in.
To raise excitement for the race, we also had some running t-shirts created, featuring both the Frank logo and brand colours, alongside the logo of The Trussell Trust. Unfortunately, with some shipping delays, these didn’t arrive in time for us to wear them on the day – but we have them now, they look amazing, and we certainly plan to make use of them again in the future.
The actual running went well for everyone involved, though we suffered through a warm point of the day when the elusive Manchester sun decided to show its face! Between first time runs, personal best times and some horrifying ‘official’ photos that show the face of some knackered runners, there was a lot to be proud of. We all say we’re not bothered about the time we run, but when you’re there on race day, surrounded by thousands of others (around 20,000), and feeling pretty good, you just happen to care about the time you run. We all ran our own races and ranging from 45 minutes to just over an hour, and all most importantly, happy with the final results the team achieved. To follow it up afterwards together with some food and drinks, alongside some supportive members of Frank and our families, it really capped off a great day. I think it got even better for some when Man City went on to win the Premier League later that day!