On the morning of Sunday 1st November, an eerie mist swirled around the trees, creeping into every corner of Richmond Park and swallowing up everything in its path. All of a sudden, strange sights could be seen emerging from the fog – was that a zombie? And a pumpkin? Surely not a miniature Incredible Hulk? The Trick or Treat Run was about to descend on Richmond Park and over 2000 runners had gone all out for the Halloween themed run, many accompanied by their families and friends.

The Trick or Treat Run offers either a 2km, 5km or a timed 10km and runners of all ages were encouraged to don their best fancy dress in the name of the spookiest weekend of the year. The course incorporated 4 different Halloween themed zones – the friendly Pumpkin Zone, the wicked Witches Zone, the zany Zombie Zone and the scary Skeleton Zone. Many participants ran in support of official charity Breast Cancer Care to help raise vital funds to support people living with, through and beyond breast cancer.

As the runners gathered on the start line, the variety of costumes and amount of effort that had gone into putting them together made for a truly impressive sight. Highlights included a very competitive clown, a family of skeletons, a pumpkin dad with his miniature pumpkin child (who ran an amazingly large section of the 2km before demanding to be carried!) and a tiny Incredible Hulk whose green hands were larger than his head. We also spotted countless zombies, ghosts and even a family of Jedis. We’ve got our work cut out for us deciding who to award with the best costume prize!

Out on the course the first zone runners came across was the friendly Pumpkin Zone, manned by the Breast Cancer Care team. Here everyone could expect a high-five and lots of encouragement as they headed on towards the (not so) wicked Witches, who were serving a refreshing potion from their Witches Brew drinks station. The third zone had been taken over by some slightly scarier characters – our Zombies were surprisingly sneaky for members of the undead and jumped out to give quite a few runners a scare. Having made it out of the Zombie Zone, the last obstacle was the spooky Skeleton Zone, which proved to be a favourite of many runners.

The grand finale was up to the runner – would they head straight for a Treat or would they be brave enough to dare a Trick? Participants could head straight on for the Treat finish, where friendly faces, a medal and a whole host of Halloween goodies would await them, or those who were brave enough could turn right and cross the Trick finish line, where they would have to complete a gungey challenge before collecting their rewards.

All Trick or Treaters received a unique medal, which transformed into a badge – perfect for kids to show off their achievement on Monday back at school. They were also all treated to some tasty Propercorn popcorn, as well as a whole selection of sweets, lollies and snacks. Plus, 10km runners could help themselves to a Zipvit Sport gel to get them round the spooky course.

Photos from the day can be found on the Human Race Facebook page, and the results from the timed 10km can be found on our website. Thanks to all our Trick or Treaters for their fantastic costumes and enthusiasm – we hope to see you again soon!

The next running event in the Human Race calendar is WildMan on 21 November, which is the first event of the Off-Road Series. Fancy a muddy trail run or an off-road duathlon? Find out more at www.humanrace.co.uk/off-road.