RUNNERS of all ages, including Olympians, took to the streets of Redcar as the 2017 Half Marathon took place on Sunday 1 October.
More than 1600 entries were received for the event, and the rain didn’t stop a decent sized crowd from coming out and supporting the winners along the Trunk Road and down the Coast Road to Marske.
Starting off the morning of fun-running activities was the 2K Ineos Go Run for Fun where runners ranging from four to 51 hit the road and got the competitive spirit flowing before the Beacon 5K race got underway not long after.
The 5K race, which saw more than 200 runners go down the seafront before turning back to the start at Tuned In! compared to just 55 last year, was won by Marc Fenwick of the Tyne Bridge Harriers, crossing the line in a swift 15m49s.
All the races this year saw greatly increased entries compared to 2016, with a more entertaining atmosphere at the events village – with activities for all the family – encouraging more people to enter.
In between the racing action, the spectators at Tuned In! were treated to music, crepes and entertainment from jugglers & superheroes on stilts as the events village provided something different for the spectators who came out to watch the action.
The entertainment village is set to become a permanent feature of future Half Marathons, an event which plays a key role in the council’s tourism strategy of stimulating the visitor economy in addition to promoting healthy living and wellbeing.
Before the main event got started, there was also the Wheelchair race to settle and Bret Crossley won by more than four minutes as he set a 51m08s to put himself at the front of a small field which included New Marske’s Paralympic star Jade Jones.
In the Half Marathon itself, runners racing for charity lined up alongside Team GB athletes to tackle the 13.1 mile course and were thankfully not getting any wetter after the clouds parted just as the race got underway.
Winning the race, in a time of 1h11m06s was 21-year-old Dean Newton of the New Marske Harriers. Competing in his first half marathon, he finished just 12 seconds ahead of nearest rival Michael Joyeux.
First place in the women’s race was Sunderland’s Aly Dixon – who finished 18th in the Marathon at this summer’s IAAF World Champions in London and represented Great Britain at the Rio Olympics last year – who set a 1h17m27s.
Aly said: “I wasn’t after a really fast time today because I’ve only just come back after the end of season break – I ran that on muscle memory really. I had a target of 78 minutes and I dipped under that so I’m quite happy.
“It was quite tough going to the turn as I was fighting the wind but I was with one of the guys from Middlesbrough and I helped him along and he got a big personal best so it was great to help him out.”
Cllr Carl Quartermain is Cabinet Member for Culture, Tourism and Communications at Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council and ran the Beacon 5K. He said: “The Redcar Half Marathon is always a great event and this year was no different with great entries in all the races.
“It was also good to see a lot of people enjoying the entertainment village at Tuned In!. The village has assisted in increasing the popularity of an event which is a key part of the council’s tourism strategy.”
“I would also like to thank all the volunteers who gave up their time to make the race happen, without their effort and support we wouldn’t be able to host such great events like these.”
Peter Smith, contract manager for Everyone Active said: “We are delighted that Aly Dixon, who is an athlete on our Sporting Champions Scheme, competed in this year’s half marathon, and achieved such a fantastic time. Well done to all the runners who took part, and we look forward to delivering an even more successful event next year.”