adidas Silverstone Half Marathon – Sunday 18th March 2007Race report and results Nigel Mansell returned to Silverstone today to drop the famous chequered flag to start the 2007 adidas Silverstone Half Marathon, which took place on the world famous F1 circuit. He then joined the field of over 6,000 runners, accompanied by his two sons Greg & Leo. Nigel is President of UK Youth, Britain's largest national voluntary youth organisation. What can only be described as a race of 'four seasons' – where dramatic weather conditions included gale force winds, driving sleet and snow and glorious sunshine – proved a true test for all the competitors taking part. Hendrick Ramaala, fresh from warmer climes in his home of South Africa and previous winner of the ING New York City Marathon and last year's BUPA Great North Run, took the finish tape in 1:06:53. This followed a race that saw Thomas Abyu take the lead from the start, get 20m on Ramaala over the first mile, and take a mile-one split of 5:00. At two miles Abyu was ten seconds up on Ramaala, and 30 seconds up on Joseph Kibor. The two-mile split was 10:05. At three miles we saw Ramaala put his foot on the gas by taking the lead and passing through three miles at 15:07. Into a strong wind he pushed further, making the lead some 50m on Abyu and passing four miles in 19:49, and continued to accelerate. At five miles Ramaala pushed further and, although almost bent double into the wind, he crossed the five-mile point in 25:18 with 150m on Thomas Abyu. At this five-mile point we saw the leading woman Liz Yelling sitting in 9th place overall. Liz then went through the six-mile point at 32:57, while Ramaala took the six-mile point – albeit into a very strong wind – in 30:30. From then on it was a one-man procession with the following splits: seven miles 35:47, eight miles 40:47, nine miles 45:41, ten miles 51:03, eleven miles 56:17, twelve miles in 61:14, and a final finishing time of 1:06:53. This left the course record at 1:05:23, held by Matt Smith of Tipton, safe. On crossing the finish line, Henrick Ramaala said, 'When I woke up this morning I saw the strength of the wind. I knew it would be a big challenge to run my target time of under 62 minutes. I expected to have to win it on my own, and I was still hopeful until my arrival at Silverstone. Having stepped out on the course I realised that the wind was too strong and I just wanted to win with a good strong run.' When asked about his preparation for the Flora London Marathon in April, Ramaala commented: 'I'm very happy with the way things are going. The London field is so strong you have to be world-record shape to win. I am trying to be in the best shape I have ever been. I'm working hard and I'm very motivated. So far so good!' Men's Race Results
Liz Yelling took the tape in the women's race in a time of 1:14:34, taking the women's course record of 1:15:11 previously held by Amy Stiles of Bristol. Liz was well in the lead from the start, and pushed on further at the first mile, and then at five miles there was a 300m gap between Liz and fellow Olympian Tracey Morris, with Liz on course for a new women's course record. Liz's initial comments on breaking the tape were: 'It was really windy the whole way round, and in the last three minutes I developed an ice-cream headache, it was that cold out there – although such conditions toughen you up mentally.' Liz went on later to say: 'It was a great race, and it is a real experience to run on such a course that is renowned for fast cars, and not runners! I know this would be sacred to my dad who is a great motor-racing fan. It was good to run on such a well-marshalled, traffic-free route. 'I haven't eased down yet for the Flora London Marathon, and felt really strong today, and now feel that this race is a good indicator for London in April, considering the extreme weather conditions experienced.' Women's Race Results
Wheelchair Race In the wheelchair event Shaho Qadir finished the event in 1:06.08, only 14 seconds slower than his winning time last year, and considering the conditions it was a fantastic performance. Celebrity Race Celebrities who took part today, complete with their finish times: Pinky 2:56.56 The field also included a team of runners from the Bobby Moore Supporters Club. On finishing, Phina Oruche said: 'I really ran through all seasons today, and was running for The Anthony Nolan Trust in memory of Keiton Knight, who passed away recently, and was also promoting the message that Anthony Nolan are still looking for a cure – so please sponsor us.' Nigel Mansell crossed the line in 2:53:24, and although it was a bit slower than his previous outing at Silverstone he said: 'What a great experience. I have never done anything like this before, and to be part of the team from UK Youth is marvellous. I am used to a lap time of 1:18, but with a mixture of power walking and jogging was very pleased to come in across the finish with a finish time of 2:53:24. 'The camaraderie was just fantastic out there and was I very happy to be part of the UK Youth team today.' Total finishers Of a total of 6,175 runners that started the race, 6,104 runners crossed the finish line. |
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