Horrible Histories author Terry Deary lead the grisly run through the historic streets of Durham today and called it “the ideal gig.”
The Deadly Durham 5k looked to pair running with a grisly history lesson with stops along the way to hear the tales of notorious events where they happened.
Today marked the first event with the second event taking place on Saturday at 1pm as part of the Durham City Run Festival.
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Organised by Events of the North, with Durham County Council and Durham University, the festival coincides with Durham BRASS Festival and is expected to attract thousands of participants and supporters.
New for 2022 was the XO Urban Orienteering event, which took place around the city centre on Thursday evening.
Teams of two tackled their own running route through a landscape of architecture and cultural landmarks on an urban orienteering experience.
Planning and strategy were key to achieving points in XO, as teams took on a series of secret challenges around the checkpoints.
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Terry Dear, author of Horrible Histories and who led the Durham 5k said he was “delighted to be back.”
He said: “This is my second time leading Horrible Histories runs at the Durham City Run Festival and I’m delighted to be back.”
“It’s the ideal gig, combining my love of running with the opportunity to share some gruesome and grizzly stories about this amazing city.”
The run will also help prepare Mr Deary for The Great North Run in September, when he will be raising funds for the Willow Foundation.
Tomorrow morning (Friday, July 15), Durham Mums on the Run will hold a buggy warm-up run for mums, dads, and youngsters.
At lunch-time, the festival’s official charity partner, St Cuthbert’s Hospice, will host a guided walk around the city, welcoming people along for a sociable wander and to find out more about how the organisation supports individuals and families.
The Durham City Run 10K and 5K will both take place tomorrow evening, starting by the river at Durham Racecourse and following courses around sections of the River Wear and past some of the city’s iconic landmarks.
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Take a look at pictures from today’s event below:
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