Police Don Riot Gear To Take On Great South Run
Enter the Simplyhealth Great South Run at: Greatrun.org/South
A group of nine police officers from Hampshire Constabulary will take on 10 miles in full Public Order uniform to support a charity that helps bereaved children from the force.
Sergeant Spencer Wragg, Sgt Paul Bromell, Sgt Justin Noons, Sgt Charles Ilderton, PC Jermaine Miller, PC Eric Wong, PC Mark Kingston, PC Paul Scott and PC Dan Turner, will take on the Simplyhealth Great South Run on Sunday 22 October while wearing full riot gear weighing up to 30 kilos each.
The police officers are often called on a variety of jobs within the force, such as football matches, music festivals and protests, but this Autumn they will don their uniform and take on 10 miles for a cause close to their hearts.
PC Miller has taken on the Simplyhealth Great South Run before and suggested that it would be a good challenge for the group to try and make the run more difficult for them.
The officers are putting in the training at their Headquarters in Netley before and after work, as they are determined to complete the distance by running as much of it as they physically can.
Spencer Wragg, from the Public Order team at Netley, near Southampton, said: “We are all police officers who work for Hampshire Constabulary in differing roles across the force.
“We are all running in our own time and have taken the day off work to complete it.
“Some of us have taken part in the Simplyhealth Great South Run before and one of our colleagues Jermaine suggested that it would be a challenge to try and complete the course in our full public order kit.
“With a flat course this seemed an ideal opportunity to take on such a challenge and if we were going to do it, we decided to support a charity at the same time.
“We’re all now thinking we aren’t sure if it was a good idea now training has started! The kit we are wearing is designed to protect us from all sorts of incidents so we are completely covered from head to toe.
“We will also be carrying shields the entire way and in all, the kit weights around 30 kilos.
“The training for the event has been tougher than we all thought. Obviously we can’t just run down to our local park in full riot kit so we have been squeezing in training before and after work at the Headquarters.”
The police officers will join 20,000 others for the Simplyhealth Great South Run, which is the world’s leading 10 mile running event.
The route features a fast and flat course around Portsmouth, giving runners the unique opportunity to run through Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, home to HMS Victory and the Mary Rose.
Participants cross the finish line on the sea front with beautiful views of the Solent and the Isle of Wight.
Hampshire Police force actively supports The Gurney Fund, which helps children of police officers who have died or been medically retired.
The group began to get involved with the charity as each year the force hosts the children as part of their summer holiday.
The children’s stories moved the group to want to support The Gurney fund in their own unique way at the historic running event this October.
Spencer added: The support that the charity provides to the children is invaluable and the stories of the kids are very humbling.
“To make the challenge even tougher we have decided to also run in our police boots.
“All of us have a good level of fitness but running in kit is a whole different ball game.
“I very much doubt we will be able to run the whole distance but we will not stop and are determined to start and finish as a team. “As above we have never tried anything of this nature before we have three main goals. To raise as much money as possible for The Gurney fund, to complete the course and finally, not to have the road sweepers and marshals clearing the course behind us!”
Support the team’s fundraising here.
Enter the Simplyhealth Great South Run at: Greatrun.org/South
Related Articles
1/11
Reigning team champions return to Birmingham
As winners of last year’s Business Challenge, Solihull School returns to the start line for the AJ Bell Great Birmingham Run.
Groundbreaking Joint Venture for Future of Athletics in the UK
UK Athletics (UKA), The Great Run Company (GRC) and London Marathon Events (LME) today announced the creation of a new joint venture, Athletic Ventures.
Doting Brothers Set to Race in Memory of Baby Sister
Two loving brothers from Newcastle-Under-Lyme are limbering up to take on the AJ Bell Junior and Mini Great Birmingham Run in memory of their little sister.
Great Birmingham Run scores a hat-trick!
With a month to go before the AJ Bell Great Birmingham Run, the three football clubs are encouraging fans to run for their community foundations.
Arup are up for the challenge on Sunday 5 May
39 runners from engineering giant Arup are taking on the AJ Bell Great Birmingham Run Business Challenge.
Taking it in Their Stride in Memory of a Friend
One team of Great Birmingham Run runners is gearing up for a challenge that goes beyond the miles they'll pound on the pavement.
10 Reasons you should run the AJ Bell Great Birmingham Run
As we countdown to event day on 5 May, we spell out 10 reasons why you should get involved and (if you haven’t already!) sign up.
Emon’s expert tips for training during Ramadan
A reality TV star who ran back to back marathons while fasting during Ramadan is now aiming to inspire his fellow Muslim runners.
Power of Running: Andrew Porter
Andrew Porter, 47, has ran every Great Manchester Run 10k since it started in 2003. Read Andrew's story.
Power of Running: Halee Robinson
After falling out of love with running Halee signed up for the Great Birmingham Run and hasn't looked back. Read Halee's story.
Power of Running: Helen Ryvar
Helen Ryvar is the Guinness World Record Holder for running the most consecutive half marathons, hitting 111 back in 2021. Read Helen's story.
