F1 gets up to running speed once again

It won’t just be F1’s cars that get their first competitive run-out of 2014 at Albert Park this weekend. The Australian Grand Prix will also mark the start of the fifth season for Run That Track, the informal F1 running club that raises money for the Make a Wish Foundation by pounding out timed laps of grand prix circuits the world over.

The new running season kicks off on Saturday at 21:45 local time in Melbourne with team personnel, media and paddock folk of all stripes all breaking out new-season trainers for a blast around Albert Park. Last year they were joined at a number of events by F1 drivers such as Jenson Button, who ran in Canada, and Heikki Kovalainen, who took part in the run around Japan's awesome Suzuka circuit.

With the help of Run That Track charity partner UBS, the project has raised a total of US$862,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation over the past few seasons. This year the hope is to reach a cumulative US$1 million with the help of everyone in the F1 paddock.

The system works like this: runners complete one timed lap at each track covered by the F1 championship, either in their own time over the race weekend, or in a group at one of six designated Group Runs across the season.

Runners then register online via the official website and upload their lap times in order to validate a $100 charitable donation from UBS, which accrues over the season.

Last year, paddock runners logged over 28,000km of the world’s F1 circuits, with Max Chilton’s trainer Sam Village taking the title of 2013 Run That Track champion.