THE STREETS of Reading took a pounding on Sunday, as the annual half marathon finally returned.
The event had been postponed from its traditional spring time place in the calendar thanks to the covid pandemic.
The route took 13,000 runners from Green Park into Whitley, the University of Reading, the town centre, into West Reading and Tilehurst before going through Coley and the A33.
The route ended with a stadium finish in the Select Car Leasing stadium.
First home was Omar Ahmed with a provisional time of 1:02:14, more than a minute ahead of Paulos Surafel on 1:03:18, and Joshua Grace on 1:05:14, who was third.
In the women’s race, Phillipa Bowden came home first. The Berkshire athlete ran a time of 1:13:29.
Behind her was Naomi Mitchell on 1:14:25, and Michelle Pearson on 1:14:42.
While there were professional atheltes taking part in the race, many were running for charities.
The event’s official charities were Cancer Research UK, Sue Ryder, Royal Berks Charity, Creating Better Futures, First Days Children’s Charity, Launchpad Reading, Thames Valley Air Ambulance and Sport In Mind.
The 13.1 mile race wasn’t the only event taking place on the day.
The Green Park Challenge took place first, with two waves. Over 11s went ahead of under 10s with accompanying adults.
This race went around Green Park and into the Select Car Leasing Stadium. In the weeks to come, presentations will be made to schools taking part in this event.
Now, preparations begin in earnest for the 2022 event, which returns to its traditional slot.
Entries are open for the race, which will take place on Sunday, April 6.
However, not everyone will need to pay: there were 39 golden tickets placed into runners goodie bags, each giving free entry into the event.
