Thousands join marathon fun
Thousands of runners from all over the West Midlands enjoyed glorious sunshine for the Stafford Half Marathon.
Thousands of runners from all over the West Midlands enjoyed glorious sunshine for the Stafford Half Marathon.
And thousands of spectators made the most of the good weather and descended on the town's Market Square to see the competitors cross the finish line.
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A record 2,000 runners took part in the spectacle yesterday, along with hundreds taking part in the Fun Run and Junior Mile.
The run also marked the completion of a double world record for Stafford's 'running paramedic' Ray Edensor.
The famous charity fundraiser ran the race wearing a sealed decontamination suit and crossed the line in two hours 25 minutes – slashing the unofficial world record by over half an hour. The 50-year-old also set what should become an official world record for the most half marathons run on consecutive days.
Ray carried out 25 runs to mark the 25th anniversary of the Stafford Half Marathon and expects to have raised between £10,000 and £12,000 for charities.
Another famous charity fundraiser, West Brom's Blind Dave' Heely, also took part with his guide Malcolm Carr and a 27-year-old from Stone proved to be the fastest man in town on the day.
Stone Master Marathoners member Ben Gamble led for most of the 13 miles and finished in one hour, nine minutes. The fastest woman on the day was 40-year-old Debbie Walters from Aldridge, Walsall in one hour 19 minutes.
