Runners hit the streets as popular half-marathon returns to Stafford
The runners were at the ready as a popular town centre half-marathon returned for another year.
The Stafford Half-Marathon on Sunday, March 12 saw hundreds of runners descend on the county town to take on a 13.1 mile course and, for younger and social runners, a shorter fun run, with thousands more people lining the route to cheer the runners on.
Organisers had freshened up the route of the run, which saw it start on Bridge Street and end on Victoria Road, next to the race village in Victoria Park, which was a hive of activity before the run started, with runners registering, then stretching, applying Deep Heat and getting prepared.
Among those taking part were Sedgley Striders members Jason Hewitt from Bilston and Sarah Dhall from Dudley, with both saying they were excited for the event and had different targets for their run.
Jason said: "It's a good run which I've done before and really enjoyed and I like it because it's local and it's always got a lot of people spectating.
"I'll see how it goes today, but I'm hoping to get around in between 1 hour 52 minutes and two hours."
Sarah said: "It's my first ever half-marathon today and I chose to do it because everyone at the club has been really supportive and it made me feel ok about doing it.
"I'll be honest, my big aim for today is to finish the run."
Other clubs taking part included Dudley Kingswinford Running Club, Chase Harriers, Penkridge Runners and members of Compton Care.
Dudley Kingswinford Running Club have been regulars at the event over the years and 50-year-old Julie Nicholls said it was an event she always looked forward to.
She said: "I've done it in previous years and it's always been a great event, with a lovely atmosphere and great support all along the route, so it's nice to come back and have another go.
"I'm also doing the London Marathon later this year, so this will be a great way to train for it and I think it's also great for the local area as so many people come out to watch it."
The race village also provided entertainment, with Ian Jones presenting, playing music and giving out race information, and a number of food and drink areas, allowing those competing to enjoy a donut, fish and chips and other drinks after their run.
Race director Laura Morris was rushing about getting everything ready in the race village and at the start and said it was exciting to be able to put on the event again.
She said: "We're really excited to have the event finishing at Victoria Park and have got a new start at the bottom of the town centre, with the course going through the streets of the town.
"It's an event that's been going on for 39 years and it's very much part of the community and everyone plans their calendars to ensure they can do it.
"A lot of effort has gone into putting this event together and we are excited to be able to put it on as it's not just about the people organising it, but also about the people running and taking part."
As well as club runners, there were also a number of families and charity fundraisers taking part in both the half-marathon and the fun run.
Among those were Jamie and Claire White, who were with their children Ashley and Leo and had travelled down to Claire's home town from Manchester to take part.
Mr White said he was nervous about the run, but thrilled to have his children and wife with him.
He said: "It's great to have the family here with me, with Leo and Ashley doing the fun run, and I've never actually done this one before, so looking forward to it.
"Claire is from around here and we've got a lot of family on the course cheering for us, so it's brilliant to be here."
Simon Warwick was among the runners providing a bit of fun as the 44-year-old from Stafford was running in a banana costume, saying it was a great way to get the crowd involved.
He said: "I wore this for the 10K event and decided to up the ante by wearing it for the half-marathon.
"If you do it in fancy dress, it's probably one of the best races you'll have as the crowd get behind you and it's such a good laugh, giving people high fives along the route.
"It means a lot to do this in my home town and it makes you want to go out and do it as this town has so much to offer and is a brilliant place."
Compton Care was among the charities benefitting from runners taking part, with Adam Holliday, Brian Flavell and Michael Cole all looking to raise £2,000 each for the Wolverhampton charity.
Michael said: "We're running the London Marathon for Compton Care in April, so this became part of the training plan and means we can gauge where we are in terms of our training.
"It's a nice event to go to, being only 40 minutes from where we live in Wombourne, and we've done it before, so it's great to be here and to help raise funds for Compton."
As the runners lined up at Bridge Street for the start at 10am, Stafford MP Theo Clarke was one of many arriving at the start to cheer on those taking part.
She said: "I think the half-marathon is unbelievably popular and you can see from the huge turnout how busy it is, with local residents supporting it.
"It happens every year and it just gets bigger and bigger and it's great for the local economy as there are hundreds of people lining the streets who will be buying coffees and spending money in the town.
"I have great respect for everyone doing it and I'm here to offer moral support to all the runners today."
