On your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Get ready. Get running. Get your whole school involved.

A Run Kids Run event is more than a day of running. It is an opportunity to get children and families active, bring your school community together and raise vital funds for projects that make a lasting difference to children’s education.

We work closely with every participating school and provide everything you need to deliver a safe, exciting and successful event. From registration and fundraising to training and rallying the school community, early planning is the key to a great turnout and a successful fundraising campaign.

Here’s your step-by-step guide.

1. Get your School Team Together

A dedicated organising team is the starting point for a successful event.

We recommend bringing together 4–6 parents, PTA members and/or school staff to lead the initiative. You don't need to do everything yourself, divide up the responsibilities and get the wider school community involved.

Your team might include:

School Lead: the main point of contact with Run Kids Run
Fundraising Lead: agrees the fundraising goal and manages the donation page
Registration Lead: coordinates runner registrations and keeps the school list up to date
Communications Lead: promotes the event through assemblies, newsletters and class groups
Training Lead: gets the children ready for their run
Volunteer Lead: recruits parents and staff to help on race day

TOP TIP

Start early and delegate. A small team with clear responsibilities will make organising the event much easier.

2. Think Big: Choose your School Project

The event is an opportunity for your school to think BIG about what you could achieve with the funds raised.

Talk to your Senior Leadership Team, PTA and/or school community about your priorities. What would make the biggest difference to your children?

Your project could support either:

Infrastructure Projects -building or improvements, learning equipment purchases
Enrichment Projects - wellbeing and counselling, sports and arts extra-curricular clubs, trips

REMEMBER

The bigger the ambition, the more important it is to get everyone behind the goal.

3. Registering your Runners

Pre-registration is required for everyone taking part, children and adults.

This allows us to plan the event safely and make sure we have enough equipment, medals, refreshments and support on the day.

Each school will receive its personalised poster and registration link.

Schools are responsible for:

Sharing the registration link with families
Keeping track of registered runners
Bringing the final list of runners on race day
Ensuring that everyone taking part has completed the registration process

Registration Fee

Schools can decide if and how much they want to charge for registration.

Everyone registering must agree to the Event Terms & Conditions, including the relevant photographic consent.

4. Set up your Fundraising Page

Once you've agreed your school project and fundraising target, set up your donation page to share with the whole school community.

Schools can use the fundraising platform of their choice: Crowdfunder, Enthuse, JustGiving, RallyUp . . .

If the school does not have a preferred platform, we recommend Superkind, a platform specifically developed for schools and PTAs, including schools that are not registered charities.

Your fundraising page should clearly highlight:

What you are fundraising for
Your Fundraising Target
Why it matters and how it will benefit the children

5. Launch the Event

Get the whole school excited!

The launch turns Run Kids Run into a school-wide challenge. Get the children excited, get the teachers and parents involved and start building momentum towards race day.

Get everyone moving!

Launch the challenge in assembly: introduce Run Kids Run, share your fundraising goal and get the children excited about taking part.
Start training: build running into PE lessons, the Daily Mile or school activities so children feel ready for race day. Start a before- or after-school running club.
Put up posters around school: make sure the event is impossible to miss at the school gates, in classrooms and around the playground.
Recruit your runners: encourage children, parents, siblings, teachers and staff to sign up. Set a school-wide target and challenge yourselves to beat it!
Share your fundraising page: make sure every family knows what you are raising money for and how they can support the school.

Make some noise

Why not hold a Run Kids Run launch event in the playground? Put on some music, get everyone moving, invite parent volunteers along and create a real sense of occasion.

The aim is simple: get everyone talking about the run, registering to take part and getting ready to race.