This report was first published, in an abridged format, as a lead story for our Nouseletter.
On a wet, windy and chilly Sunday morning a crowd of top athletes and fun runners alike set off in their thousands to compete and try to (given the weather conditions) enjoy the eleventh annual Yorkshire Marathon Festival.
Focusing on the top athletes, who were competing for a £10000 prize pool, George Ravenhall was the first person to cross the finish line, recording a time of 2 hours, 24 minutes and 41 seconds. George Mallet (second) and David Queenan (third) rounded out the top three for the men. Ravenhall spoke to the BBC on the conditions of the race, stating "It's been a tough day with the weather, but I'm glad to have come through in a decent time."
For the women, Heather Townsend completed the race in two hours, 39 minutes and 14 seconds. Rounding out the top three women’s times, Alice Bourne finished in second, while Chloe Malcom captured third position. Winner, Heather Townsend, also commented on the weather conditions, stating “It was pretty horrible today, very windy, so it slowed me down a little bit."
Aside from the elite runners who took part, thousands of fun runners played an as important role in cultivating an atmosphere which warmed, both physically and emotionally, supporters and running compatriots alike.
The event was supported by a number of different sponsors including Wagamama, York Sport and the University of York itself, with the latter being represented by a large number of students, as well as vice-chancellor Charlie Jeffrey (who took part in the 10 Mile event).
As well as sponsors, the event had a number of charity partners, including: the Jamie Tomlinson Appeal, Macmillan Cancer Support, St Leonards Hospice, York Age UK, The Island, and last but by no means least, Yorkshire Cancer Research.
The event also boasted a 10 mile fun-run, with Matthew Cooper finishing the first of the men’s, with a time of 52 minutes and 33 seconds. Katy Wood led the women’s race, crossing the line in 56 minutes and 25 seconds.
The Yorkshire Marathon Festival also hosted a wheelchair marathon, but unfortunately, the results of said race are absent from both the Run For All website and app respectively.
Everyone at Nouse and Nouse Sports would like to offer their congratulations and thanks to runners and supporters for what was a thoroughly enjoyable event, despite the weather’s best efforts to dampen the mood on the day.
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