2:49pm Sunday 29th March 2009
By Tanya O'Rourke
More than 1,000 runners pounded the streets of Bradford in glorious sunshine today to raise money for Epilepsy Action.
From eager teenagers to people in their 70s who walked the route, age was no barrier at the second annual 10k road race through Bradford which started and finished in Centenary Square.
With no strong winds to battle against and a mostly flat course, many runners achieved their personal best times.
Winner Willy Smith, 33, of Brow Top Road, Haworth, broke the course record which he set himself when he won last year’s race, with a time of 31 minutes and 26 seconds.
Willy, who runs for Keighley and Craven Athletics Club, said: “It’s been perfect. I could hear the person behind me breathing he was so close, so I just put everything into it.
“I feel fantastic now but that last straight you couldn’t have paid me a million pounds to go any faster. I’ll definitely be back next year. Hopefully it will be three times lucky.
And Willy had another reason to celebrate – his girlfriend was the race winner for the women.
Helen Glover, 24, ran the race in 37 minutes and 46 seconds. She said: “I feel shattered but good. I’m really chuffed.”
Dave Woodhead, 34, of Pudsey, runs for the Pudsey Pacers Athletics Club. He said: “I have done hundreds of road races and this is a really nice one. And the conditions have been really good.
“We have had a lot of support from the spectators. They have been really enthusiastic.”
Crossing the finishing line was emotional for Bridget Thompson, 47, of Crossmoor Close, Silsden.
She said: “My husband has epilepsy and he’s blind so he fights two battles. He ran the race too.
“The research Epilepsy Action do is great because new medication comes out all the time.
“It’s good because for some people it can be really hard to control.
Andrew Midgley and his teammates from Apperley Bridge-based Commer-cial FC were running to raise money for the Elizabeth Foundation, a pre-school for deaf children which is set to close due to lack of funding.
Andrew, who sends his profoundly deaf son Christian, two, to the school, said: “We’re doing all we can to keep the school open. It can’t close – there is nothing else like it.”
Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Howard Middleton, who presented the winners with their certificates, said: “The run is now in its second year, and you can never be entirely sure what the second year will bring.
“It’s much bigger than last year and it looks like it is going to become one of the more important road races in West Yorkshire.”
The run was organised by national charity Epilepsy Action, which has its head office in Yeadon.
The event raised funds for the organisation which works to improve the quality of life of people living with epilepsy, a serious neurological condition which affects an estimated 456,000 people in the UK.
Katie Stocks, fundraising events manager at Epilepsy Action, said: “It’s been a fantastic day and the weather has been beautiful. A lot of people have been achieving their personal best times today as there’s no wind."
RESULTS: Men: 1 Willy Smith, 2 Ian Holmes, 3 Sean Ledger, 4 Aidan Johnson, 5 Peter Webster, 6 Stephen Broadbent, 7 Keith Johnston, 8 Timothy Bedford, 9 Michael Mannings, 10 David Thompson, 11 Gareth Hird, 12 Nigell Bedell, 13 Charles Lines, 14 Edward Richards, 15 Gerrard Mills, 16 Alistair Langron, 17 Andy Wormald, 18 James Clark, 19 Andy Thorpe, 20 Ricky South. Women: 1 Helen Glover, 2 Sarah Graham, 3 Melanie Woodhouse, 4 Andrea Dennison, 5 Kaeti Mackenzie, 6 Carol Dixon-Yeung, 7 Sharon Williams, 8 Alison Skillcorn, 9 Sally Caton, 10 Tori Lethaby, 11 Heather McShannon, 12 Amelia Wheelwright, 13 Emma Brambani, 14 Frances Harkins, 15 Maria Mazza, 16 Sam Hellewell, 17 Claire Thompson, 18 Gillian Kester, 19 Jann Smith, 20 Helen Love.
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