Beverley AC @ Humber Bridge Half-Marathon

 

Temperatures soared to 30°C last Sunday as more than 1500 people took part in the Humber Bridge Half-marathon.

With no shade on much of the course runners could not escape the heat and had to adjust their pace to suit the conditions.

First across the finishing line for Beverley Athletic Club was James Pearson.  He finished in fourth place overall in 1:17:37, several minutes slower than his best at this distance this year but a fine performance considering the heat.

Amanda Ritchie was the first of four Beverley ladies to complete the course.  All crossed the finishing line within four minutes of each other around the two hour mark.

Competition for veteran prizes was very keen with strong performances in all age groups.  The first lady to finish the race was Caroline

Wheelhouse of Doncaster AC, an F50 athlete.  She finished in 55th place overall in a very impressive 1:32:55.

Beverley’s Alan Flint and Pete Watkinson finished third and fourth in the M60 and M55 categories respectively while Jackie Hardman was second in the F55 age group.

Organised by the Rotary Club of Hull, the race is popular with local club runners as well as those who take part to raise funds for charity.  For the last few years it has been a very hot day for this race and to reduce the risk to runners the organisers moved the start time from 11 am to 10 am.

The course is a challenging one and takes runners across the Humber Bridge and back with two long inclines on the south side of the river.  The support from spectators in Hessle and Barton is always fantastic and runners are very grateful to the residents of Barton who get out their garden hoses every year to shower them with cold water.  It is the only way to cool down!

There were 1530 finishers and the race was won by Steve Bateson of East Hull Harriers in 1:12:51.  Darran Bilton of Leeds City AC was second in 1:13:50.  The first lady to finish was Caroline Wheelhouse of Doncaster AC in 1:32:55.

Beverley Athletic Club finishing times:
James Pearson 1:17:37; Matt Chadwick 1:25:22; Jonathan Leskiewicz 1:25:27; Andy Johnson 1:29:41; Steve Evins 1:36:33; Alan Flint 1:38:38; Pete Watkinson 1:44:58; Lucas Meagor 1:47:58; Rob Reid 1:50:20; Neil Folwell 1:50:22; Neil Sergeant 1:50:58; Amanda Ritchie 1:57:31; Jackie Hardman 1:59:34; Debs Brant 2:00:41; Dianne Coleman 2:01:29; Chris Curry 2:03:28; Michael Anderson 2:03:32; John Fewings 2:09:05; Steve Hadley 2:18:32; Jörg Hardege 2:21:10.

Photos by Dave Gowans

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