Over 6,000 Take Part in the Ealing Half Marathon Weekend
Ealing Eagles pair take first and second in women's race
The Ealing Half Marathon inspired many. Picture: EHM/Twitter
The Ealing Half Marathon race weekend proved to be a great success with over 6,000 people taking part in the 13.1 mile run on Sunday (26 September) and the Ealing Mini Mile the previous day.
This was a testament to the perseverance of the organisers who had to face the challenge of the uncertainties caused by possible coronavirus lockdown restrictions. It was only in recent weeks that they were able to finally confirm the event would definitely be going ahead.
Sunday morning saw light clouds and unseasonably warm temperatures as the runners were lining up on the start line. Official starter Tom Kerry, Running Mayor of Ealing, sent the runners on their way at 9am before joining the running crowd.
The single lap course started and finished in Lammas Park and took in parts of Central Ealing, Montpelier, Pitshanger, West Ealing, Hanwell and St Stephens.
Jonathan Poole (Serpentine RC) was on the start line to defend his title, and he managed to secure his fourth consecutive Ealing Half title in a time of 1:08:50 after pulling away from runner up Andrew McCaskill who finished in 1:09:14. Ollie Garrod (South London Harriers) took third place in 1:10:04.
Melissah Gibson (Ealing Eagles RC) was the fastest in the women’s field and took the title in 1:19:51, ahead of fellow Ealing Eagle Alice Sunderland who finished in 1:20:58. Sharan Basrai came third after crossing the finish line in 1:30:30.
The top three men and women were awarded with a cash prize and Up & Running vouchers, and all age group winners as well as the fastest Ealing residents and the best fancy dress received Up & Running vouchers also.
The route was lined with local people supporting the runners. Picture: Angela Donnithorne
Runners from 102 different running clubs were taking part, including over 330 members from the Ealing Eagles Running Club. Many runners could also be seen in charity vests, raising valuable funds for lots of different charities including Alzheimer’s Society, Cancer Research UK, Macmillan Cancer Support and Meadow House Hospice.
Ealing Mini Mile took place in Lammas Park from 12 noon on Saturday 25 September, with the biggest ever field of young runners signed up and a total of eight races across the various age categories. This year’s finisher‘s t-shirt featured a designed by Natalie from St Joseph’s School in Ealing.
The winners of the 2021 Ealing Mini Mile in the different age categories were:
George Antoniades and Isla Fereday (Family Mini Mile); Aditya Kansagra and Jessica Lennon (6 year olds); Dejan Luzajic and Cissie Bootman (7 year olds); Noah Liborg and Alexia Gaudin (8 year olds); Jack Jones and Violet Muralidhar (9 year olds); Stefan Luzajic and Kara Bryan (10 year olds); Zacharia Van Der Graaf and Leila Newth (11 year olds); Gus Lewis and Nai Mossi (12-16 year olds).
Sandra Courtney, Race Director, said, “Ealing Half Marathon 2021 has been a huge success, it’s so good to be back! We would like to congratulate everyone who took part, and thank all our runners, volunteers, team, sponsors, partners, charities and residents for their ongoing support. Ealing Half Marathon is an independent race by a non-for-profit organisation, organised by a CIC for the benefit of the community, and we couldn’t do it without the support of everyone involved and all the runners signing up year after year. See you again next autumn!”
The 10th anniversary race will be taking place on Sunday 25 September 2022 and entries open at 1pm today (27 September) with places at just £29 for the first 200 entrants.
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September 27, 2021