About the Tree-Athlon

The Tree-Athlon is a fantastic fun-filled family festival full to the brim with races, activities, live music, food, drink and entertainment. The main event is the 5K fun run through the beautiful tree lined paths of Battersea Park that leads straight into the Tree-Athlon festival village.

Focused around our vintage solar powered VW campervan stage the Tree-Athlon village is packed full of fun activities for the whole family. Expect the unexpected from live music and silly games to a World Record attempt, nature arts and crafts and our magical golden face painting caravan!
Plus everyone that takes part gets a limited edition T-shirt (last year's was designed by fashion icon Giles Deacon) and their very own sapling that they can take home and plant.

The central focus of the Tree-Athlon is the 5km race around one of London's most beautiful parks. It's an opportunity to be out in the open with hundreds of others, all running to raise money to plant trees in parts of our cities that need it most.

This year we have fantastic pamper pack prizes for the fastest male and female provided by Kiehl’s, worth £150 each!

In the year of the Olympics become a world record holder yourself, by taking part in the largest ever 100m barefoot race. Participants can run, walk, skip or jump - so long as you’re not wearing shoes it all counts towards our total. Last year we broke the record with 416 barefoot runners, so in 2012 this year we’re going for even more!

 

In 2011 we introduced our new solar powered VW campervan stage, hosted by presenter Gaby Roslin and featuring an array of live music, DJs and performances, curated by Noise of Art. We'll be releasing details of the 2012 schedule as the event draws nearer. 

The Tree-Athlon is a great family event. There will be lots of fun activities for children, including games, face painting, hula hooping, stilt walkers and natural arts and crafts such as bird box making.

See our skills in action with Chris Collins, the Blue Peter gardener. Join us on a guided tree walk or come and plant some seeds for yourself.

In 2011 street artists Miss Led created a giant piece of street art that children and race participants can add to on the day. We’re working on another exciting art project for this year, so watch out for more updates!

 

The Tree-Athlon day begins at 9am, giving participants time to settle in, drop off their bags and have a look around the Tree-Athlon village. The race warm-up starts at 10am to get everyone ready for the race at 10:15am.

There’s a £22 registration fee per participant, and we ask that everyone raises a minimum £25 sponsorship. For this you get entry to the 5K run & 100m barefoot world record attempt, a limited edition T-shirt, a free sapling to take home and plant and access to the Tree-Athlon village where there will be entertainment throughout the day.

Click here for a map of the Tree-Athlon village.

If you have any questions, please visit the Tree-Athlon FAQs page or email info@treesforcities.org.

“Trees are a luxury for all of us and we need this luxury for our health, mind and soul. Places become sad when there is no green, no life present. Trees balance our lives. I am happy to support Trees for Cities with all my heart.”

Karin Leitner, Classical Flautist