Gary Marshall of Wootton Bridge Runners was the first Isle of Wight athlete home in this years gruelling Needles Half Marathon on Saturday (1st June).
Marshall, 38, lost by just 22 sec to race winner Luke Montgomery, 34, of Corby Athletics Club. The pair were neck and neck throughout, with Luke pulling away to finish in 1 hour 22 min 51 sec.
Luke, in his fourth half marathon, described the race as “tough but enjoyable. It really helped to run with Gary, because he knew the route and set a very fast pace. He was brilliant.”
Gary, whose time was 1hr 23min 13sec, said:
“I had a nice, steady-paced race. I took a tumble in a field, but didn’t come to any harm. I ran a strong race, but Luke had a stronger finish.”
Gary was cheered at the finish by his family, including daughters Rosie, 8 and Megan, 6, who had taken part in the Junior Fun Run.
First woman home was Faye Johnson, from Pontepool and District Runners, in 1 hr 38min 03 sec. First Island woman – and 5th woman overall – was Hayley Baxter, of IW Road Runners, in 1hr 47min 56sec.
With 434 entries, the race marked the climax of the third IW Festival of Running, organised by West Wight Sports and Community Centre.
The festival, now in its third year, attracted 774 entrants in 4 races: 1.5km Junior Fun Run (sponsored by Warrior Fitness Academy), Freshwater 5km (PO41 Coffee House), Tapnell 10km (Tapnell Farm), and Needles Half Marathon (Love Running).
Winner of the 10km was Daniel Green, of Leighton Fun Runners, in 42hr 34min 01sec. First woman was Faye Johnson, as above, in 42min 53sec.
Winner of the 5km was Ross Wilkes, of IW Road Runners, in 17min 57sec. First woman was Nicky Millard, of Warley Woods Pacers, in 24min 39 sec.
Clare Griffin, of West Wight Sports and Community Centre, said:
“The festival was a huge success, thanks to our magnificent runners, sponsors, marshalls and staff. We really couldn’t do it without such a brilliant team.”
Next year’s IW Festival of Running is on 30th/31st May 2020. Entries will open on 1st July at www.iwfor.co.uk.
