On Saturday 2nd March, David Evans of Newport & District Running Club finished in first place in the half marathon at the “Groundhog Day” event at Oakengates Leisure Centre in Telford. One of the more “repetitive” events available to local runners, the event hosted a marathon, a half marathon and a 10k race, all taking place on the 400m-long running track, meaning that runners were tested not just on their speed and endurance, but also their mental fortitude, with no variety in their surroundings!
A half marathon is run over 13.1 miles, or 21.1km, which means that runners had to do almost 53 laps of the running track to cover the full race distance. Spare a thought for those doing the full marathon! David and the rest of the field of 19 runners endured the cold, wet conditions that hit the area on Saturday morning, and David won the race overall, finishing just 22 seconds ahead of his closest competitor in a tight finish. His winning time overall was 1 hour, 50 minutes, 23 seconds.
Newport & District Running Club 