At the challenging Wigan Half Marathon, featuring nearly 1,000 feet of elevation, Lostockers delivered a series of strong results against a testing course. The course starts in Menes Wigan Town centre, it then loops to football stadium before heading along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, before joining the Whelley Loop line heading to Haigh Woodland Park. As soon as runners enter the park, they are greeted with a tough climb all the way to the courtyard, runners are rewarded with a fast down hill through the park. There is one final climb up to plantation gate, then a super-fast run to the finish line. The weather was not kind, and runners were saturated when they crossed the finish line.
Leading the way was Janet Rhodes, who crossed the line in an excellent 1:34:25, finishing 7th female overall and securing first place in her age category. Close behind, Dave Parry posted a time of 1:35:13, with Antony Sutton (1:39:06) and Phil Holland (1:42:15) also breaking the 1:45 barrier. Greg Kilshaw (1:44:09) and Hazel Hatfield (1:44:19) followed, with Hatfield earning 3rd place in her age category.
Chris Baker (1:49:08) and Jo McManus (1:50:54), who also claimed 3rd in her age category, continued the strong showing. Further solid performances came from Dan Wood (1:54:19), Bev Atherton-McKenna (1:57:37), who took first place in her age category, and Terri Aldred (1:59:51).
The two-hour mark was narrowly crossed by Matt Withers (2:00:19), while Rachel Stevens (2:02:33), George Iveson (2:06:05), Emma Chadwick (2:07:00), Carol Ensol (2:17:14), and Dougie Ainsworth (2:22:06) all showed determination to complete the demanding route.
In the accompanying 5K race, Markus Stevens celebrated a personal best, finishing in a time of 28:20.
