Shrewsbury Marathon firm in the running to boost jobs

David Downes, director of In The Running, based in Market Drayton, said he wrote down yearly goals just three months ago but was already having to rewrite them.

He runs his business arranging running events from his home in Rogers Close but said he will soon be looking to move it into a headquarters in the Market Drayton.

He said: "We have got three other events in the pipeline. We're in an advanced stage of the talks.

"Next year we can start adding to the team again. We're forecasting five or six additional people will be needed."

Mr Downes has four full-time staff and employs 25 people as part of the events team which helps out at about 15 events per year.

He is expecting to take on two more full-time people over this year and grow the events team by about 10 people – and then take on a further six people next year.

The Shrewsbury marathon, on June 23, will be the biggest event his company has so far staged, with 1,200 people already signed up.

But it has also taken on the Stoke-on-Trent 10k in September which he expects will attract up to 4,000 runners.

He puts his company's success down to a change in attitude across the UK.

"It is on the back of the other events being so successful and the Olympics," he added.

"On the whole the country has more of an appetite for this kind of event.

"We set our goals at the start of the year and we are going to have to reset them. We had a two- year plan but it has turned into a one-year plan."

He said any new base for the company would be in Market Drayton. It is made even more impressive by the fact the company is just 15 months old.

Mr Downes worked for Warrior Events, which organised boxing and triathlon events as well as running events, for four years before creating his company last year. In The Running has organised the Deamon Run Series which includes running events in London, Wales, Glasgow and Stoke.