THE Southampton 10k event is set to return next year after a succesful innaugral event at the weekend.
Hundreds of people flocked to St Mary’s stadium to take part in Run Through's first event in the city on Sunday.
The stadium grounds were packed with over 900 participants in professional and festive attire ready to race at 9am.
And now organiser Lucy Wood has said this will not be the first or last time the event comes to the city.
“This is the first time we have ever done this event in Southampton", she said.
“We do quite a lot of stadium races across the country but this is somewhere new.
“There are around 1,000 people here today which is a really nice number for the first time.
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“We are going to make it an annual event and will return on November 26 next year.”
She added: “There are a few other events we do round here but we’re bringing this to a new audience.”
Participant Claire Presland said it had been “exciting.”
Speaking before the race, the 32-year-old from Southampton said: “I do enjoy running but I’m not normally a 10k runner, so this should be a challenge, especially with the cold weather.
“And it’s exciting to run around St Mary’s.”
A fellow runner, who did not wish to be named, said: “I’m excited but nervous as it’s so cold.
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“It’s great that there is a new marathon taking place in Southampton.”
Lord Mayor Jacqui Rayment was in attendance to start the race.
Speaking on the event, Cllr Rayment said: “I am delighted to be invited to start the first Run Southampton 10k hosted by RunThrough with over 900 runners taking part.
“It’s great to see the runners off all ages setting off and it shows a clear commitment to be here on such a cold day.
“There’s history in the making today. It may be cold but there's a warm reception with lots of supporters cheering them on.”
Starting at St Mary’s stadium, participants ran a loop of the building before running across Northam Bridge and back.
Then, runners headed towards Ocean Village and the city centre before returning to the stadium.
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