Colin Sinclair, the CEO of Knowledge Quarter Liverpool and Sciontec, is now one month away from an epic 120-mile run from the Lake District to Liverpool.
The incredible challenge, equivalent to four consecutive ultra marathons, begins at Hope Park in Keswick on Monday 7th September and is expected to finish three days later on Thursday 10th at Liverpool’s Hope Street, passing through Paddington Village on the ‘sprint’ to the finish, where Sciontec is to develop its HEMISPHERE labs building.
His efforts are a key part of celebrations to mark ten years of the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool) innovation district, and will help raise money for Alfie’s Squad, The Brain Charity and Clatterbridge Cancer Charity; the three charities KQ Liverpool is partnering with throughout 2026.
Colin’s ‘Hope to Hope’ route is a celebration of Stage 2 of next year’s Tour de France, which will bring the world’s best riders into the city for the stage finish on Saturday 3 July 2027, meaning Colin is, as ever, blazing a trail.
He has been preparing for the challenge with regular long-distance runs and recently took part in the Manchester to Liverpool Ultra 50 and the Montane Lakeland 50 Ultra. Last year, Colin ran 52 miles around the Liverpool City Region in one day to raise funds for six local charities, leading to a collective fundraising total of almost £17,000.
Other members of the KQ Liverpool and Sciontec teams have joined the fundraising efforts again this year, raising £1,700 so far through a range of activities including a sponsored abseil, charity runs and bake sales. To donate, follow the link here.
Colin’s ‘Tour de Ten’ run is one of ten fundraising events and innovation-inspired activities taking place throughout 2026. This series includes a celebratory event at CENTRAL TECH on Thursday 17th September, featuring a raffle and silent auction for a host of luxury prizes.
Colin Sinclair, CEO of KQ Liverpool and Sciontec, said:
“This promises to be one of my toughest but also most rewarding challenges to date. Our three chosen charities all work incredibly hard to help and champion children and young people across the Liverpool City Region, and hopefully my efforts can help make a meaningful contribution to supporting their work.
“The arrival of the Tour de France next year will be a huge boost to Liverpool’s economy and global reputation. It seemed only right, therefore, that I should connect our 10th anniversary fundraising efforts to the Tour and get ahead of the riders to promote our charities. It’s going to be tough running such long distances on four consecutive days – it’s something I’ve never done before – but hopefully I’ll get to meet some lovely people and enjoy some of the scenery along the way. From Hope Park in Keswick to Hope Street Hotel in Liverpool – I’ll just be hoping I finish the run!
“If anyone is in the Lake District, Lancashire and Liverpool during that week and fancies giving me a cheer – or maybe even a bottle of water – any support would be much appreciated and I would encourage everyone to donate to these three very worthy causes. We’ll be posting the full route on our social media channels.”
Andrew Lewis, chief executive of Liverpool City Council and chair of KQ Liverpool, added:
“Colin and the KQ Liverpool team have spent the past decade creating a world-class destination for innovation in our city. The lasting impact of this work will be in the advent of new ideas, businesses and jobs that are open to future generations of our local communities.
“This year’s celebrations to mark those achievements underline the importance of investing in and supporting children and young people, and this is central to Colin’s amazing fundraising challenge. We wish him the very best of luck and will be cheering him on.”
If you’d like to get involved as a corporate sponsor, please email: enquiries@kqliverpool.co.uk.
