The streets of Shrewsbury were filled yesterday, Sunday 6th October 2019, as runners and spectators gathered for On Shrewsbury Half Marathon #ShrewsburyIsOn.
The race was celebrating a new autumn date, still treating runners to the same, much-loved course combining a mix of history and scenery. Due to the water levels after heavy rain during the week there was a slight tweak to the start of the race at Shropshire County Showground and to the last half mile of the route, but everything else went ahead as planned and the day brought dry and sunny running conditions with incredible spectator support.
The Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Phil Gillam, started the race at 9am and the 13.1-mile single-lap route proceeded through Shrewsbury’s Medieval town centre and out into the beautiful Shropshire countryside, before returning to Shropshire County Showground where competitors were cheered over the finish line and awarded their medals, race souvenir t-shirt and finish line treats.
Many runners had teamed up with the SRG pacers in order to hit their targets and over 100 running clubs were represented at the event, which is well respected within the running community for its friendly and professional organisation.
On Shrewsbury Half Marathon 2019 proved to be a competitive and thrilling race, with both the male and female winners clocking faster times than at last year’s event. In the male field, the winner and runner-up ran together for a large section of the course, but it was Tom Roberts who eventually pulled away to claim victory in a time of 01:09:54, with over two minutes’ lead. Second place went to Jack Pickett in a time of 01:11:56, and there was over a four-minute gap before third place was claimed by Callum Welman in 01:16:16.
The women’s field was dominated throughout by Jackie Skinner, who took the win in a time of 01:21:27. Second place went to Rachel Sweatt in a time of 01:22:49 and Elliw Haf crossed the line five minutes later to take third place in a time of 01:27:48.
Results (provisional): Shrewsbury Half Marathon, 6th October 2019 Male:
- Tom Roberts (Meirionnydd Running Club), 01:09:54
- Jack Pickett (Wolverhampton & Bilston AC), 01:11:56
- Callum Welman, 01:16:16
Female:
- Jackie Skinner (Fulham Running Club), 01:21:27
- Rachel Sweatt (Witham RC), 01:22:49
- Elliw Haf (Eryri Harriers), 01:27:48
Full results are available here.
The race village at Shropshire Country Showground was a hub of activity with plentiful retail and entertainment opportunities for runners and their supporters. As in previous years, the event was supported by a number of top brands including Headline Sponsor On #ShrewsburyIsOn, Official Sports Retail Partner Up and Running, Official Nutrition Partner GU Energy, leading ethical drinks brand One and Eat Natural.
The runners were greeted at the finish line by hugs, cheers, a bespoke medal, a red technical finisher’s t-shirt (with a choice of sizes), banana, carton of One water and a paper treat bag containing Eat Natural protein bar, GU Energy Gel and a bag of crisps.
Organisers Joe Williams and Rebecca Richardson commented, “We are thrilled with the turnout for On Shrewsbury Half Marathon 2019 and would like to thank all our runners and spectators for making the day such a great success. Despite wet conditions in the lead-up to the race, necessitating a slight tweak to the route, we were delighted that race day itself was sunny and dry, making for ideal running conditions. The atmosphere was fantastic, with loads of support from residents in town and people lining the street cheering on the runners! Huge congratulations to everyone who crossed the finish line. Our sincere thanks go to all of our volunteers, marshals, pacers, medical crew, supporters, sponsors, residents of Shrewsbury, partners, staff, family, friends and all our runners for their amazing support at this year’s event.”
Partners of On Shrewsbury Half Marathon 2019 include On, Up & Running, Shropshire Council, One Water, GU Energy, Eat Natural, BMW Rybrook Shrewsbury, Original Shrewsbury, Optimal Movement, Love2Stay, Love2Live, C S Physiotherapy, Barnabas Community Church, Run Britain, Breathe Unity and UKRunChat.
The Official Race Charities were Lingen Davies Cancer Fund, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Save the Children, food bank PLUS, Hope House, Severn Hospice, Opportunity Pre-School, The One Foundation, The Royal British Legion and Energize Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin.
Entry for the 2020 On Shrewsbury Half Marathon will open shortly.
Go to www.shrewsburyhalf.co.uk for further event details. You can also like the Facebook page, and follow @Shrewsburyhalf on Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest news at #ShrewsburyHalf #ShrewsburyIsOn #UKRunChat.
Photos courtesy of ©Charles Whitton Photography. Click here to view the full gallery from On Shrewsbury Half Marathon 2019.
