Fun in the sun at Stafford Half Marathon

All pictures taken by Paul Milgate-Scarrott

Thousands of runners took to the streets for Stafford’s annual Half Marathon on Sunday, March 20.

The event, organised by Freedom Leisure on behalf of Stafford Borough Council, drew around 3,000 entries, with runners taking part from all over the West Midlands and beyond.

Several hundred people joined in a one-mile fun run around the town centre, with many in fancy dress.

The main event raised tens of thousands of pounds for charities and good causes and was hailed ‘a huge success’ by organisers.

First place was Cole Gibbens from Kent and a member of Invicta East Kent AC, who completed the 13.1-mile circuit in 68.57 minutes; Cole was visiting his Uncle who lives in Stafford and also took part in the half marathon raising hundreds of pounds for The British Heart Foundation.

Cole was followed by Oliver Harradence of Royal Sutton Coldfield AC (second) and Samuel Evans of Preston Harriers (third).

The first female home was Rebecca Harrison of the City of Stoke AC in 82.08 minutes. Rebecca had previously won the Stafford Half Marathon an impressive five times since 2005.

The race got under way at 10am sharp and took runners on a circuit along Newport Road, Westway, Wolverhampton Road, Lichfield Road and Radford Bank, Baswich Lane, Beaconside and the Isabel Trail before ending back in the town centre through Victoria Park, with the finish line in Market Square.

Ten minutes later the one-mile fun run – two laps of the town centre – got under way with a wide range of wacky fancy dress runners, including the ubiquitous Spider-Man, Superman and Captain America.

Race Director Liz Hulse said: "The race went really well and Stafford looked great in the sunshine.

"Our team and volunteers began work at 3am to get the route ready. We couldn’t do it without them, so a massive thank you to everyone who has helped out – it’s an amazing effort.

"Similarly, I can’t thank our sponsors enough; The University of Wolverhampton, Velo Runner and WR Davies have all been incredible and we are very grateful for their fantastic support.

"The runners taking part really appreciate the enthusiastic encouragement from the Stafford borough community spectating and they were out in their numbers again all around the 13.1 mile course."

Students from the University of Wolverhampton offered sports massages to runners before and after the race.

Councillor Carolyn Trowbridge, Portfolio holder for Leisure, added: "It was a lovely day, perfect weather, perfect running conditions and a huge amount of personal bests were achieved.

"The atmosphere was lovely and the fun run raised a huge amount for local charities and people in the Ukraine."

Freedom Leisure Regional Manager Dan Palframan said: "It really was a fantastic event and it was brilliant to see so many people not only taking part, but also lining the streets of Stafford to support the runners.

"We look forward to doing it again for the annual 10k Race later in the year."

The Stafford Half Marathon’s sister event, the Stafford 10K, is returning after a break of two years on Sunday 25 September; entries are now open with an option for both the 10K and the 2023 Half Marathon, with a discounted entry fee until the summer.

For further information – and a full set of results – visit www.staffordhalf.com.

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