Supporters, former players and staff joined together to represent Leeds Rhinos Foundation in the Asda Foundation Leeds 10k as part of the Run with the Rhinos team.
On a hot morning, 84 Run with the Rhinos runners competed the Leeds 10k to raise money and awareness of the official charity of Leeds Rhinos. Former Rhinos player Barrie McDermott was part of the team for the eighth year and ran for the first time with his son Billy. The younger McDermott, just beat his dad to the finish line, completing in 1 hour 1 minute, whilst Barrie finished just over a minute later.
Dan Phillis, Leeds Rhinos Foundation’s Communication’s Executive, finished first of the 84 runners, and 45th overall after completing the race in an impressive 37 minutes 22 seconds.
Ronnie the Rhino got a huge cheer when he came in for the finish after 1 hour 25 minutes, although he had to decline the calls from the race commentators to do his famous dive across the line!
22 members of staff from the Leeds Rhinos and Leeds Rhinos Foundation ran the 10k, including Customer Experience Executive Ashley Marshall who completed his first Leeds 10k in 1hour 6. Rhinos coaching staff, Barry Eaton and Chris Plume, also ran in the team before heading off to the Rhinos’ game against Salford in the afternoon. Plume finished the race in just under 51 minutes and Eaton in 57 minutes.
16 runners from Chadwick Lawrence joined the Run with the Rhinos team for the first time and did an incredible job, with Alastair Mackie, Daniel Kirigers, Stuart Murray and Neil Wilson all finishing in under 50 minutes.
Run with the Rhinos regular, Adam Blackburn, came second in the team, completing the race in 40 minutes 8 seconds. The Tremlett family, all finished in under 1 hour 15, with Luke grabbing family bragging rights with a finish of 57 minute 20 seconds.
Following the run all the team were invited to Banyan Bar and Kitchen in city square to enjoy a post-race event, where they were also able to have a massage from Freedom Care Clinics.
Speaking about the success of the Run with the Rhinos team, Kate Grannan who co-ordinated this year’s team said: “It was wonderful to see such a big team taking part in the Leeds 10k and representing Leeds Rhinos Foundation. It was hot day, which made it tough conditions to run in, but everyone completed the race and we are proud of them all.
"We have been overwhelmed by the support from our fans this year and we would like to thank everyone who ran the 10k for us. We hope you all enjoyed being part of the Run with the Rhinos team and we look forward to seeing you all again next year!”
If you would like to donate to the Run with the Rhinos team visit https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/runwiththerhinos2017
For a full picture gallery of the Run with the Rhinos team visit our Facebook page