L to R – Male Podium Finishers – 1st Harvey Speed, 2nd Isaac Walter & 3rd Chris Hardy
After months of careful planning by the organisers, nearly 1,000 runners descended on the Market Harborough Showground last Sunday to take on the inaugural running of the Snap Fitness Market Harborough Half Marathon.
Runners of all abilities came from far and wide, with a strong local contingent from Leicestershire and its neighbouring counties, to run an undulating and testing 13.1 miles, with Harvey Speed, representing Coventry Godiva Harriers, taking the crown in a time of 1:13:29.
Before the start Snap Fitness, title sponsors of the event, led an exuberant warm up for the runners assisted by the team at Harborough FM who provided the soundtrack to the event throughout.
From the off it was clear that the race for the male podium would be hotly contested with Isaac Walter (Northampton Road Runners) and Speed leading the field, interspersed with an outstanding team of pacers, off the showground.
In the race for the female podium Sarah Terry and Lucinda Thompson blazed a trail from the start, with only seconds separating them throughout.
As the runners weaved their way through the countryside surrounding the town there was strong support throughout the villages with the residents of Foxton, Gumley, Mowsley, Saddington and Lubenham all out in force, bolstered by the friends and families of the runners themselves.
After 73 minutes of running, it was Speed that came into view first down Gallow Field Road, flying towards the showground and down the finishing straight to take victory.
Speed had opened up a significant gap at the finish to Isaac Walter who finished second in a time of 1:18:05, followed by Chris Hardy who filled third place in 1:19:56.
L to R – Female Podium Finishers – 1st Sarah Terry, 2nd Lucinda Thompson & 3rd Kate Lyons
The battle for the female podium remained extremely close right to the line, with only six seconds separating first and second place at the line! It was Sarah Terry, running only her second half marathon, who came out on top though, in a time of 1:28:54, with Lucinda Thompson taking second place in 1:29:02, and Kate Lyons (Corby AC) taking the third spot in 1:32:34.
Despite the testing nature of the course, many runners recorded PBs and others hit their target times thanks, in no small part, to a pacer team whose sole objective was to help runners achieve their time goals from 1:30 through to 2:40. It was a great sight in the last 400 metres to see so many runners chasing down the pacers, passing them, and crossing the line with their arms held high.
The support in the finishing straight on the showground was also immense with the friends and families of the runners cheering everyone on to their finish. And, as they crossed the line, tears of joy, laughter, and a degree of relief, ensued creating such a special finish line atmosphere to the excellent commentary and tunes from the team at Harborough FM.
In addition to runners running to raise money for the Bodie Hodges Foundation and Voluntary Action South Leicestershire (VASL), the organiser-chosen charities to promote at the event, there were also a large number of runners fundraising for other deserving charities that meant something personal to them. This included a group of local farmers’ wives who raised over £13,000 for GEMS Charity Leicestershire, and Sam Chapman, and her friend Laura, who raised in excess of £2,900 for Hope Against Cancer in memory of Sam’s Dad.
Runners at Mile 10 out on the course heading towards Lubenham
This was the largest event ever staged by Race Harborough who deployed a team of 95 volunteers across the course, along with a large traffic management team in key locations.
The systematic planning and organisation, which had spanned over 12 months, to ensure that everyone was in place when required, and knew their role on the day, delivered a fantastic event experience for the runners. The volunteer team were a massive part of delivering this ensuring runners were safe, hydrated, and thoroughly encouraged throughout.
In addition to the volunteer team, the event would not have been possible without the loyal support of its sponsors.
From title sponsor Snap Fitness, who had a big team helping both at the showground and on course, The Injury Clinic, who were on hand to offer expert advice to the runners, and Costa Coffee, who have a new store on the Airfield Business Park, to Senior Car & Van Hire, who provided a number of vans to help with event logistics, the team from Coventry Runner, who provided vouchers to the podium finishers, and Printem Printing and Embroidery, who printed the official race merchandise.
Jason Samuel, General Manager – Snap Fitness Market Harborough, said: “We are really proud to have been part of such an amazing first event. It was brilliant to see the local community come together and also see so many of our members taking part. It was fantastically organised and, as a locally owned business ourselves, it’s a huge positive to the local area to have its own half marathon and we’re excited to see where it goes in the future.”
A group of runners celebrate as they approach the finish line
As the last of the race signs were snipped from their locations, the course swept for litter, and marquees and gazebos taken down, the inaugural Snap Fitness Market Harborough Half Marathon had delivered a truly memorable day.
Mary Pearson, Race Director and Owner of Race Harborough, said: “There is always a degree of apprehension when launching large events like this, but the support right from the day we launched to event day itself has been overwhelming. From the runners themselves, to our fantastic sponsors, the local villages, and our amazing volunteer team.
“There are so many people to thank, and that’s what we will spend most of this week doing. We’ll also spend time over the coming weeks thoroughly reviewing every aspect of the event, and talking to our sponsors, volunteers, contractors, suppliers, and the runners themselves, to ensure that we build upon the solid foundation we’ve achieved this year.
“We especially need to thank the local communities who, despite having their Sunday morning disrupted by the event, came out in good numbers to support the runners.
“From the very outset our aim was to create a landmark event for the town, celebrating both fitness and community spirit by bringing together runners, volunteers, supporters, local businesses and charities. Judging by what I witnessed on Sunday, we’re well on the way to achieving that.”