The UAB Solidarity Run already includes over 1,500 entrants

03/11/2016

This year marks the fifth edition of the UAB Solidarity Run, with all proceeds going to the TV3 Marathon, and will take place on Sunday 18 December on the Bellaterra campus. In the past four editions a total of 6,910 people participated, 43,000 Euros were raised, and 320 persons volunteered in the events. A highly successful event in terms of participation and solidarity for a university-organised race. Also participating in the organisation are the Town Council of Cerdanyola del Vallès and the Catalan Network of Healthy Universities (Us.cat).

The UAB once again dedicates its efforts to the organisation of this celebration of sport and solidarity, following the large number of participants in previous editions. Last year over 2,000 people participated and more than 9,000 Euros were raised for the TV3 Marathon. A total of 80 volunteers, coordinated by the UAB's Fundació Autònoma Solidària, also collaborated in several of the organisational tasks.

The race will be held on the same day at the Entities' Fair. This year most stands will be related to topics dealing with strokes and traumatic spinal cord and brain injuries, which is the research area to which the TV3 Marathon will dedicated all donations. The goal is to offer information on these types of illnesses to all citizens, diseases which are being studied by teams of UAB researchers. At the Entities' Fair, participants will find different associations dedicated to these illnesses and to helping both patients and family members.

As in previous editions, all participants will be greeted upon arrival with a warm cup of soup, courtesy of Hotel Campus. Those who sign up for the race will receive a technical t-shirt. There will also be students in Physiotherapy at the finishing line offering physical recovery sessions.

Like last year, the race will consist in four different categories:
-Run for persons with reduced mobility (almost 500 metres)
-10 km run.
-6 km walk.

All four categories have their start and finish lines at the Vila Universitària, and start times are spread over the whole morning of Sunday 18 December, the same day as the TV3 Marathon. The first run will begin at 10:30 a.m.

Alumni will also be present this year. In past editions, orange-coloured balloons were released into the air in solidarity with all those affected by the illnesses that are the theme of this year's TV3 Marathon. A similar type of event is being prepared for this year.

  TV3 MARATHON AND MEDICAL RESEARCH
In the 25 years since the first TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio Marathon was held, over 151 million Euros have been raised and this has helped to fund a total of 757 biomedical research projects, a figure which includes the 34 projects funded this year thanks to the 2015 Marathon. In addition to the 57 teams which receive funding from the 2015 Marathon, there are over 6,500 scientists participating in the research activities funded by the TV3 Marathon.

VALIDATION OF ECTS CREDITS
One of this years novelties is that students participating in the run will be able to have their participation recognised with ECTS credits, as long as they also do other healthy and sustainable activities (a total of 50 hours of activities must be completed). The UAB Solidarity Run is one of the activities which can be completed with the “Viu el Campus SIS” card. Participation in this and other activities programmed throughout the academic year (in addition to the run, there is the Sustainable and Safe Mobility Week activities, and those forming part of ACTIVA'T and MOU-TE) can be recognised with 2 ECTS credits. To have them recognised, students must go to the Resources Centre (Centre de Recursos) of the Plaça Cívica.

VOLUNTEERS
In last year's event, some eighty volunteers, mainly students and staff (PAS), helped out from the early hours of the morning with organisational tasks, coordinated by the Fundació Autònoma Solidaria (FAS). A group of Physiotherapy student volunteers helped runners with recovery exercises when the runs were over.

UAB CAMPUS MÈDIA COLLABORATES WITH THE RUN
The UAB Campus Mèdia, with headquarters at the Faculty of Communication Studies, is made up of student volunteers who will be actively participating in the UAB Solidarity Run with ample coverage of the event. They will be in charge of recording several videos before the celebration to explain different aspects of the Solidarity Run and on the same day, they will set up as small TV studio in which there will be interviews which will later be aired on UABTv and UABràdio, the two media channels belonging to the UAB Campus Mèdia.

RUN FOR PERSONS WITH REDUCED MOBILITY
The run for persons with reduced mobility, over a distance of 500 metres, in which participants show impressive courage and determination, is back on the programme for this year. This is one of the very few runs organised for those with reduced mobility.

VERY EQUAL RUN
The UAB Solidarity Run also stands out for the almost equal participation of men and women, something not that common in other races. In last year's edition, of the 2,144 participants, 51% were men and 49% were women. 40% of entrants participated in the 10 km run, 28% in the 6 km run, and the remaining 32% participated in the 6 km walk.

INFORMATION ON THE UAB RUN: http://blogs.uab.cat/lacursadelauab/

ENTRIES: www.cursauab.cat/