Fitness, fun and fundraising

Oswestry based Alan Lewis, is the owner of Adrenaline Sporting Events. Now, you may be aware of the company since Alan organises and runs the Oswestry 10K and Santa Run. The Adrenaline branding can be seen on the start line along with local business sponsors. But what is the motivation behind the brand? We asked Alan what inspired him to start such a unique business.

In 2011, Alan was an athlete competing in Triathlons representing Great Britain around the world and he made it to the ITU World Championship Grand Final in Beijing, finishing an impressive 11th in his category. Alan then decided to take a step back and in 2014 he started holding sporting events that committed all the takings to local charities.

“I was so happy that we could raise so much money and help local charities that in 2019, I decided to create a business that would support me and continue to promote and create fundraising opportunities,” Alan said.

Despite the pandemic, Alan has seen great success with the business growing organically and the Oswestry 10K model being requested for Brynkinalt, Welshpool and Newtown.

Alan explained, “All of the business partners are local, and I always encourage them to take part in the event, rather than just provide branding for us. They can present trophies and there’s free entry for their employees who wish to take part. I want them to be involved because they are another important part of the event.

“We have a core group of local charities we fundraise for; Hope House, Lingen Davies, Midlands Air Ambulance and The Movement Centre. A lot of people know someone who has been touched by these charities, I want to support them. For last year’s Oswestry 10K, I changed the route to go past Hope House so the staff and children could watch and feel some inclusion. I had no idea how much of a positive impact doing that would have on them.”

It takes a lot of time and energy to organise the events. Usually, road management is required and holds a lot of responsibility. Alan works tirelessly before the event and on the day to ensure a smooth and safe event.

“Because we have lots of outside visitors coming into the event locations, I feel responsible to put on a good show and showcase each town/area where the run or ride is. The medals are key and always heavy and detailed. Each event has its own medal to reflect local history or something significant about the area, for example Oswestry has Wilfred Owen in the medal design,” Alan told us.

“I’ve always put emphasis on the importance that the last runner across the finish line is as important as the first. I can proudly say that we now have a 50/50 split of men and women across the running events. This is a significant achievement because in the industry, more men sign up for events than women. It’s always been like that.”

Adrenaline isn’t just about running though. Alan now holds events across cycling including a ladies only bike ride and a mountain bike festival. More recently, the organised talks with top athletes have become popular and are growing organically. Guests have been treated to Olympic Cyclist Ed Clancy MBE, Olympic Triathlete Alistair Brownlee OBE and Olympic Endurance Cyclist Dame Laura Kenny. 2023 is already busy for Alan with 11 events lined up, more talks in the pipeline and the Adrenaline running team putting in their training plans to participate in the running events. Another project of Alan’s is helping a team of individuals who needed support and advice with their running journey, across training and nutrition.

“The events wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of the volunteers’ time and all the supporters. We can have up to 3000 spectators which generates a lot of extra income for the economy and charities, which is great.”

To find out more visit www.adrenalinesportingevents.co.uk or follow on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.