On Sunday, 5 members of Newport & District Running Club made the trip to Manchester to take part in the annual Manchester Marathon. Starting and finishing close to Old Trafford, runners tour a large area to the south-west of the city centre, taking in a circuitous route which encompasses areas such as Salford, Hulme, Sale and Timberley, with just over 110m of elevation change. The weather was good this year – not too warm or cold, and the rain held off. 

Jon Pierce (far left) passes Manchester United F.C. during the Manchester Marathon

This year, more than 22,000 runners took to the streets of Manchester, and Jonathan Pierce led home the Novaportan contingent, and his training paid off, as he achieved his target of a sub-3 and a half hours in setting himself a new PB of 3 hours, 26 minutes, 46 seconds, 12 minutes faster than his previous best, and finishing 3,702nd overall. 

Elly Blake celebrates her new PB!

Phil Dolding was next, coming in at 3:35:16 for 4,949th place, whilst Charles Fear clocked 3:58:19 in 9,280th position. Elly Blake ran a time of 4:35:38 in 15,153rd position, a new PB for her in her first outing in an NDRC top. Husband and wife team Gary and Liz Mountford ran together, finishing 21,450th and 21,451st in 6:15:06 and 6:15:07 respectively.

Phil Dolding at Old Trafford after the event
Gary and Liz Mountford after the race