A deafening blast from an air horn shattered the Sunday morning silence, a signal for a thousand squealing Coventry school children to race away from the start line of the 2015 Coventry Half Marathon Children’s Challenge. Like fizzy pop released from a bottle , the St. Christopher children – roared on by the proud parents in the large, cheering crowds – quickly mixed with the other Coventry school children all decked out in bright red t-shirts as they scampered, sprinted, jogged, walked and ran around the one mile city centre course. This, the thirteenth and final mile – part of the Coventry Half Marathon Celebration – was the culmination of weeks of hard work running the 12 miles in rain, sleet, wind and snow around the St Christopher school field.

Turning past the university the children huffed and puffed up towards the old Odeon Cinema before heading right to run past the council house and into Broadgate. All along the traffic free route bystanders stopped to clap and cheer as the tide of red swamped the city streets. Crossing Broadgate the children entered Trinity Street before turning left and down into the Burges. The final turn was into Hales Street bringing them back to the finish line where the inspiration of the roaring crowds and the loud music coaxed a final sprint from tired limbs to get to the finish line. Waiting at the finish for each and every one of them was a permanent memento of the day in the shape of a heavy, silver coloured medal dangling on a large blue ribbon.