UIPM 2019 Global Laser Run City Tour: Scaling the walls in York (GBR)

As the ancient capital of northern England, the walled city of York has seen its fair share of combat and it provided a symbolic setting for Great Britain’s latest Global Laser Run City Tour on July 14.

Britain has enjoyed success in Pentathlon, with a series of women’s Olympic medallists and, more recently, two high-class male athletes in world No.2 Joseph Choong and world No.3 Jamie Cooke.

The country hosts its own Laser Run Series and, with the high-profile 2019 European Championships and Olympic Qualifier coming up in Bath (GBR) in August, the GLRCT in York served as another powerful development exercise on the ground.

Individual and relay events were staged throughout the day at York University’s athletics track, and a mixture of experienced athletes and beginners were sourced from a nearby Pentathlon club and local schools. The event was attended by Ann Marshall, Pentathlon GB English Talent Programme Manager.

A spokesperson for the local organising committee said: “There were some high-quality races and exciting finishes. Both individual events and relays were run over the day with much fun and personal achievement.

“All athletes taking part were awarded trophies for the Individual events and team medals for the mixed relay races. The relay events were very popular and some new friendships were formed.”

The GLRCT was created in 2017 to provide an entry point to UIPM Sports for people of all ages in urban communities around the world.

Another 100 cities have been selected in 2019 as hosts of the GLRCT or the Biathle/Triathle National Tour. The full calendar can be viewed at the UIPM website, where you can also find more information on UIPM’s various multi-discipline sports.

In September, the UIPM Laser Run World Championships will be incorporated into the Pentathlon World Championships for the first time in Budapest (HUN), where Laser Run is also on the programme for the 1st World Urban Games.

In December, Laser Run and Triathle will both feature for the first time in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines.

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