The Harewood Hop 10k is a new event which will be held on the Harewood Hill Climb course on Sunday 26th September.

We have set a course which we hope that you will find "interesting". It is a mixture of road, trail and hill running, without the danger of fell running! The Hill Climb Circuit (as used by the cars) is 2km and has 200ft of climb - this will be run twice, before and after 6km of trail running which has 250ft of climb. Unlike most fell races, we start and finish at the top of the hill. And unlike most road and trail races, the route is entirely traffic-free.

The objective of the event is to raise money for St Leonard's Hospice in York, whilst providing a challenging event for the runners. To that end, we haven't gone to the expense of designing and purchasing medals, mugs or T-shirts (I'm sure most of you have cabinets, shelves and wardrobes full of them), but to compensate we have set a low entry fee (£3 for attached runners).

As we are new to organising races, we have enlisted the help of Valley Striders who have a wealth of experience having organised their own Trail Race for the last 4 years and in 1997 hosted a round of the West Yorks Cross-Country Championships. They will be providing the technical support - course design, late entries acceptance, timekeeping, recording and results. We have also had the course measured by a BAF Official Measurer, but, as is normal for cross-country and trail events, we are unable to be given a certificate for the course.

You will also see that there is a combined junior race and adult fun run of 2 miles run prior to the main event. This is also measured and is tarmac-only. You can of course run both events, but note that this "fun" run has 360ft of climb!

The event is ideal for spectators. From the top of the hill, spectators will be able to see the entire 2 mile race and nearly all of the 10km race.

We expect that most of you have exhausted your friends for sponsorship money in the past, but if you think you could be sponsored for our event, please tick the box on the entry form and we will send you a sponsorship form and some more information about the Hospice showing how the money will be spent.

If you have any queries, please contact the Fundraising Centre on 01904 781576. If you need more entry forms, then contact the same number, or just take photocopies of the entry form.

Alan Pennington - on behalf of St Leonard's Hospice Fundraising Centre