Hundreds of thousands of pounds were raised in York today as over 10,000 runners pulled on their trainers to celebrate the seventh running of the Asda Foundation Yorkshire Marathon Festival.
The streets of the historic city were a cavalcade of colour as the runners made their way around the scenic course cheered on by enthusiastic spectators who lined the Yorkshire streets.
Starting at the University of York, the route took the field through the heart of the city and out into villages and country lanes before returning to the university for an electric finish. The race was officially started by the Lord Mayor Councillor Janet Looker and Tony Audenshaw – who plays Bob Hope in ITV soap Emmerdale.
Elite athletes in the race were competing for a total cash prize pot of £10,000 and first across the finish line in 2019 was Mark Buckingham in a time of 2hrs 21mins 42secs. He was followed by Daniel Kestrel who clocked 2hrs 24mins 47secs to take second place with Richard Mcdowell finishing third in 2hrs 25mins.
The first woman home was Charlene Jacobs-Conradie in 02hrs 46mins 50secs. Sarah Hill recorded 02hrs 52mins 21secs to take second spot and Kate Owens was third in 02hrs 55mins 14secs.
The winning wheelchair athlete for the Yorkshire Marathon was Bret Crossley in a time of 1hr 58mins 20secs
This year the Asda Foundation Yorkshire Marathon hosted the British Masters Athletic Federation’s 2019 Marathon Championships. Having two successful years at the Chester Marathon, the championships made their way to the Yorkshire Marathon and saw hundreds take part.
A strong feature across this year’s Yorkshire 10 Mile and Marathon was world record attempts. Steve Gaughan from the British Royal Legion attempted to be the fastest man to run a marathon dressed as a 3D plant, and what better plant than the Yorkshire white rose. Owen Willis smashed the current record at last year’s Yorkshire Marathon with a time of 4:51:05. Steve crossed the line at 5:07:06, only just missing out on smashing the world record, however Steve raised an incredible £1,100 for York Against Cancer.
Another outstanding world record attempt came from a 40 men Viking boat attempting to be the fastest 40-person costume to complete a marathon. The Yorkshire Marathon Marauders sailed their boat over the finish line with a time of 6:31:16. We will find out very soon if they smashed the world record, but either way they achieved something incredible at this year’s Asda Foundation Yorkshire Marathon.
Today’s festival of running also included the Asda Foundation Yorkshire 10 Mile, which attracted around 4,000 entrants.
The 10 Mile race was won by Matt Kitching in 53mins 10secs, with Robert Byers second in 53mins 34secs and Bryn Smith taking third place in 53mins 51secs. First woman home was Sharon Barlow who clocked 58mins 56secs. Georgina Weston finished second in 1hr 33secs and Becky Penty was third in 1hr 2mins 51secs.
Among the marathon runners, the Marathon Festival also saw the Yorkshire Marathon Relay get underway. Teams of six each took one leg of the course and passed their armband baton to their waiting team members. This year seeing 100 teams taking part and racing to become the fastest team of the day.
Mandy Hepworth, Asda Foundation Co-ordinator, said: “Many congratulations to everyone who crossed the finish line today. There was a tremendous atmosphere and it was truly inspirational to see so many people taking on such a tough challenge, many of them raising money for some excellent causes. Well done one and all.”
Tristan Batley-Kyle, head of events at organisers Run For All, said: “The seventh running of the Asda Foundation Yorkshire Marathon was a great success and we are delighted that the event continues to go from strength to strength.
“We would like to thank everyone – the runners, spectators, sponsors, partner organisations, charities and particularly the many volunteers – who have helped make today’s run such a success.”
The Asda Foundation Yorkshire Marathon’s partner charities are the Jane Tomlinson Appeal, Macmillan Cancer Support, Candlelighters, Alzheimer’s Society, Leeds and York Mind, Children’s Air Ambulance, St. Gemma’s Hospice, Martin House Children’s Hospice and St. Leonard’s Hospice.
The marathon is staged under the umbrella of Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All, the not-for-profit organisation behind the popular Asda Foundation 10K Series, plus, half marathons in Leeds, Sheffield, Hull and Derby.
The marathon is supported by Asda Foundation, City of York Council, University of York, BBC Radio York, Arla Protein, Erdinger AlkoholFrei, High 5, Motorpoint, Just Giving, Yorkshire Runner, Yorkshire 4×4 Response, Aftershokz, York Sport, Runderwear, The Technology Group, Banana Kick.
Entries are now open for the 2020 Yorkshire Marathon which will take place on Sunday 18th October https://www.runforall.com/events/marathon/yorkshire-marathon/ Early Bird entries are now and for just £45 until the 31st October 2019. Runners are advised to enter as soon as possible, the Yorkshire Marathon has sold out every year since its 2013 launch.
