Amidst all the recent race cancellations one of the few to go ahead this weekend was the Stafford Half Marathon. Much to the relief of Eccleshill’s brother and sister duo David Goodyear and Annie Kisluk who had travelled down for the race on Saturday amidst fears that there was every chance they would get there and the race could well be cancelled at the eleventh hour.
Hosted by Freedom Leisure, the race started on Earl Street, but due to flooding on the Isabel Trail along the section of the route that runs underneath the Eccleshall Road Bridge there was a slight amendment to the 13.1 mile course where instead of joining the Isabel Trail at Izaak Walton Street the runners stayed on the A34 Stone Road until they reached the Eccleshall Road roundabout and then took the subway running underneath Greyfriars to Nursery Lane. The runners then picked up the Isabel Trail path and return to the town centre finish line where each participant was rewarded with a specially commissioned medal and a technical tee shirt. The course was re-measured by an official member of the Association of UK Course Measurers to take into account the small changes made and the start line was adjusted accordingly. However, despite some recent bouts of bad weather, today brought perfect running conditions for this popular half marathon which also hosted a fun run and filled the town centre with fun and fancy dress! Annie was first home in 1:56:05 and David 2:11:35. Well done to both of you!