On March 23, Arsenal fans and keen runners from around the globe came together to take part in the Club’s ‘Be a Gunner. Be a Runner’ event for The Arsenal Foundation.
With hundreds of runners, young and old, braving the Arctic conditions to take part at Emirates Stadium, many more fans were getting involved in their own independently organised runs all over the world to raise awareness and fundraising for the Club’s charitable arm, that aims to transform the lives of young people through a range of education and sport projects in the UK and overseas.
After going global for the first time in 2012, this year’s version saw even more countries and supporter groups get involved in what is quickly becoming a global event on the Arsenal calendar.
Runners proudly displayed their official race numbers over Arsenal Foundation T-shirts or replica shirts as they ran across all types of terrain from dust-laden tracks and mountain roads to local football stadia and even the famous Las Vegas strip!
Highlights included 600 schoolchildren taking part in Barbados alone, with the help of Arsenal Gap Programme volunteers, while a further 450 individuals signed up to runs across nine different cities in China.
The full breakdown of international runners is as follows:
Australia
Corey Kirby completed a lap of Lake Wendouree in Ballarat, Victoria, the equivalent of 6.5km
Barbados
Six hundred runners across 15 schools took part all over the island, organised by the Arsenal Gap Year programme.
Canada
Members of the Arsenal Canada Supporters’ Club ran from their local pub in Toronto around the local neighbourhood.
China
Four hundred and fifty runners joined forces across nine cities across the country, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
France
Eric Mangeot devised a route around the province of La Forêt-le-Roi in northern France.
Georgia
A group of 15 runners from the official Arsenal Georgia Supporters Club ran around Lisi Lake in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.
Ghana
Ernest Twum completed a 6.4km route around the Tamale Sports Stadium.
Hong Kong
The Arsenal HK-Gooners football team came together to run alongside the riverside in Shatin, passing through Kitchee, where Arsenal played during the 2012 Asia Tour.
India
Dharma Kumar brought together more than 200 Gooners in Bangalore to complete a run around the city, even being joined by local Indian celebrity Milind Soman.
Indonesia
Individuals of all ages came together with the help of the Arsenal Indonesia Supporters Club and Arsenal Soccer School Indonesia to complete a run in Jakarta.
Kenya
With the help of coaches on the Arsenal Gap Year programme, more than 70 youngsters took part in two separate BAGBAR events in Kenya.
Malaysia
Around 50 members of the Arsenal Malaysia Supporters’ Club came together to run around Titiwangsa Recreational Park in Kuala Lumpur.
Mexico
Carlos Suarez ran a picturesque 10km in his home town of Mazatlan on the country’s western coast.
Mongolia
More than 30 runners completed a run alongside the snow-covered riverbank in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Norway
Bjorn Lydvo led a group of 15 runners around a picturesque route in the town of Voss in western Norway.
Philippines
Forty members of the Arsenal Philippines Supporters Club came together to run around Fort Bonifacio in the Filipino capital, Manila.
Poland
More than 150 runners, including members of the Arsenal Poland Supporters’ Club, completed runs across 12 different towns in the country, including Warsaw, Krakow and Poznan.
Romania
Teodor Irimia brought together more than 200 individuals across the country, including a special event for 35 children in the capital, Bucharest.
Singapore
Arsenal Singapore Supporters’ Club chairman Eric Ong led a group of more than 30 runners around East Coast Park, a stretch in Singapore next to the beach, popular with joggers and cyclists.
Sweden
Hanna Dahlqvist completed a run around her local neighbourhood in Kvegerö in eastern Sweden.
Uganda
Two hundred and fifty runners took part in across the Kanungu district after Arsenal Gap coaches brought pupils from eight different schools together to participate in the event.
USA
Individuals all over the United States showed their support for the event. While Dave Kinnett ran around his estate in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Lynne Pope was completing a route around the community of Celebration in Florida. Marshall Pinnix ran with his son in Tustin, Orange County, Florida while Yohanes Zewdu and a group of friends ran along the famous Las Vegas strip!
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