Yesterday was an amazing day! We had an early start in order to get over to Trafford Park in time for a quick visit to the portaloos, an even quicker warm up and the start of the 2018 Manchester Half Marathon. It started drizzling just as we got out of the car and didn’t let up until we were back home several hours later!
The wet weather didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of the runners, spectators or organisers and the whole event was really well organised and very enjoyable (from a spectators point of view anyway!).
Nick is a seasoned runner and registered for the event a while ago, meaning he was in starting group B. The others were all in the final group, group G.
With 1400 people running, it took 30 minutes for them all to set off from the start line. I can’t fault the organisers and everything went like clockwork.
With my fellow supporters (Sophie, Ian and Odin), we managed to find a spot at the 5K point and waited with excitement for our team to appear. First past was Nick, who was so fast that none of us managed to catch a photo of him! After a bit of a wait, Connor appeared, looking happy and energetic …
Somehow we missed Gleaves in all the crowds but spotted Niamh and Heather running well together. They were so excited to have seen us cheering them on that they hugged, which made us smile!
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At this point we decided to head for the finish line, grab a spot and wait. By this time it was raining heavily and the only way we could see the road was to stand in a puddle! We were about 100 metres before the finish line, so spent the next hour cheering various runners through their last painful steps. I can’t tell you how much I admire each and every one of the people taking part today. Just getting round those 13.1 miles in the cold wet conditions is an amazing achievement. There was a great atmosphere amongst the spectators and lots of support for all the runners.
We all became super excited when Nick suddenly appeared, still looking fresh and running well. After a bit of a wait, Connor appeared and managed to find a surge of energy as we cheered him on to the finish line.
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Next through was Gleaves …we were so relieved, having not seen him at all since the start. He managed a smile and a wave and ran for the line.
We then waited anxiously for Niamh and Heather. We knew this was a huge challenge for them both …Niamh running with a hip injury and Heather having only started training a month before. We were overjoyed when we finally spotted them. Both were struggling but looked determined as they ran that final 100 metres and crossed the line hand in hand. Nick, Connor and Gleaves had joined us by this time, so we gave the girls a big cheer then whizzed round to the meeting area to find them.
A couple of Niamh’s friends, Lois and Jess, managed to get a spot on the other side of the road a little nearer the finish line so Niamh and Heather got double cheers for the last bit of their run.
After some emotional reunions and tales of pain, tears and amazing support from each other and from fellow runners, we headed home for hot baths and pizza!
What a fantastic day! Connor, Niamh, Heather, Nick and Gleaves …you were amazing. I couldn’t be more proud and pleased and so touched by your effort.
Everyone is struggling a bit today with sore legs and low energy, but I hope the fantastic five are also feeling very proud of themselves …they really should be.
Some numbers …
Nick – 1 hour 37 minutes (he was aiming for under 1 hour 40]
Connor – 1 hour 44 minutes (he was aiming for under 2 hours)
Gleaves – 2 hours 18 minutes
Niamh and Heather – 2 hours 21 minutes (they were aiming for under 2 hours 30)
They all smashed it! ?????
The GoFundMe page has now received 94 donations! Thank you so much everyone who has donated …I am so grateful to you all.
The page has had 3156 views and 327 Facebook shares!
This blog has had 2083 hits and 49 messages.
We have 37 followers on Twitter and 82 on Instagram.
I hope to have a total figure for funds raised by yesterday’s amazing athletes within the next few days. If you are impressed by their fantastic efforts and achievements, you can sponsor them here … GoFundMe (give them a mention in your comment) …or see them in person.
Thanks for reading …as you can probably tell, I’m feeling very emotional today!
It’s early nights all round here tonight …I think we’re all out of spoons this evening ?
Well done to all!
They were amazing Anita. I’m so proud and emotional xx