“Where’s Wally?” fun run heads for Olympic Park

HUNDREDS OF runners, families and book lovers will dress up as the popular children’s book character Wally, from the Where’s Wally? books next Sunday, 15th March. They will be running, jogging or walking to raise money for the National Literacy Trust.

This is the eighth Where’s Wally? event, and this year it’s taking place – appropriately for an Olympic year – at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Around 1,000 runners, aged 10 months to 84 years, all in costume, walked round Clapham Common last year. They raised over £30,000 for the National Literacy Trust’s work to help disadvantaged children in the UK through improving their literacy skills.

This year’s event offers a fun day out for the whole family, with a 5k or 10k run and a 1k run for the Under-12s. – and plenty of entertainment for visitors. Organisers are anticipating the event will be the biggest yet.

Backing for the fun run comes from Walker Books, who publish Where’s Wally. The company will be entering a team in the race, hoping to win one of the two awards on offer – fastest team or raising the most money. Each winning team will be given a box of books, sponsored by Walker Books, to present to a school in their locality. Everyone who takes part will take home an exclusive goodie bag and will be awarded a collectable medal to display proudly at home.

Event: Where’s Wally? Fun Run
Date: Sunday, 15th March 2020
Race start time: 9am
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London
Race distance: 5k, 10k or 1k for under 12s
Register at: literacytrust.org.uk/WheresWally

Children’s author and former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq is also supporting this year’ fun run. She will be at the Olympic Park on race day to cheer on the runners and sign copies of her first children’s book Cookie and the Most Annoying Boy in the World.

Konnie gave a hint of how much she’s looking forward to the event, saying, “What a fun and fab way to incorporate both exercise and reading! I can’t wait to see and cheer on all the ‘Wallys’ running! It’ll be a vision in stripes! I’m so pleased to be a part of this event. The National Literacy Trust does a brilliant job and reading is so important. Books can give readers empathy and help build a better society. They can transport you to new worlds, educate and entertain. Imagine a world without reading.”

•Once registered, runners will be able to order their Wally costume, complete with the glasses and bobble hat, ready for race day. For more information and/or to register, go to:
literacytrust.org.uk/WheresWally

•Read more about it:
Hundreds of Wallys join ranks to promote literacy
Wallies don trainers to promote reading among London’s children