By Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
A superb new race which took place inside the beautiful Ainsdale Nature Reserve in Southport has announced that it will be back next year.
Southport Strollers worked together with Natural England to organise the first ever Red Squirrel 10k race which was held on Sunday 6th April 2025.
The event was a huge success, involving over 70 volunteers and 300 runners, with the organisers overcoming a number of challenges to organise an event in the middle of the pinewoods.
Runners also managed to raise over £1,000 for the Southport Stronger Together charity.
The charity, operated by the Community Foundation for Merseyside, in partnership with Sefton Council and Sefton CVS, created this fundraising appeal for all those affected by the Southport tragedy on 29th July 2024 in which three young girls were killed with several children and adults severely injured.
A Southport Strollers spokesperson said:
“We’re delighted to confirm that the date for the Red Squirrel 2 is Sunday 19th April 2026!
“Entries will go on sale towards the end of this year, but we wanted to get the date out there now as lots of you lovely people have asked, so thank you all for the fantastic support.
“We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported our first ever Red Squirrel 10k race.
“This wouldn’t have happened without the tremendous support from Natural England, the many running clubs and locals who have supported us and of course our brilliant 70+ marshals who made it happen!
“We loved it!”
The route for the race is described as both “both scenic and challenging”, designed to appeal to all those who enjoy trail running.
The race winds its way through the wooded paths and finishes with a sting in its tail, as runners mount the highest dune peak before a final run through the woods to the finish.
The course is suitable for those who have never contemplated trail running before, or those who are seasoned trail running pros.
The course would be described as moderately difficult, but suitable for all running abilities. Southport Strollers is a friendly, supportive and inclusive England Athletics affiliated running club which runs social runs in 4k,5k and 7k groups every Tuesday at 6.30pm, and every Thursday at 7pm.
There are speed sessions every Monday at 6.30pm.
For more details visit the Southport Strollers website here.
Ainsdale Nature Reserve is owned by Natural England which is responsible for managing this unique habitat. The sand dunes support unique flora and provide a home to numerous creatures, from newts, toads, sand lizards and moths, to deer and you may even spot a red squirrel.
You can find out more about the reserve and the aims of Natural England here.
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