Event Review: Many club runners on start line of 2017 ASICS Oulton Park Half Marathon & 10K
The fourth edition of the ASICS Oulton Park Half Marathon & 10K took place last Sunday 26th February under overcast but dry skies, and proved once again to be a fantastic event at an exclusive venue.
Taking place at the famous Oulton Park motor racing circuit in Cheshire, the ASICS Oulton Park Half Marathon & 10K is always keenly anticipated by club runners of all levels from the surrounding areas, who enjoy celebrating the start of the road running season at this unique event. Many runners were also using the event as a training race for the upcoming ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon on Sunday 2nd April.
Of particular appeal to runners at Oulton Park is the smooth, traffic-free surface of the circuit, combined with an impressive finish straight in the pit late. The venue also provides plenty of vantage points for family and friends, and this year’s event welcomed many spectators to cheer on the competitors and contribute to the fantastic overall atmosphere on the day.
The action started at 10am when the start horn sounded for the ASICS Oulton Park 10K, consisting of 3 laps of the race circuit. Nicholas Hicketts (handicap 0.9) of Stockport Harriers & AC and Sol Clark (handicap 1.0) of Buxton AC were battling it out for the men’s title, with Hicketts claiming the win with a five second lead in a time of 00:36:09. The women’s race was dominated and won by Helen Sahgal (handicap 3.4) of Liverpool Pembroke & Sefton Harriers, who finished in an excellent overall 6th position in 00:39:06.
The wind had gone up by the time the half marathon runners were lining up on the start line at 12.30pm, before covering 6 laps of the race circuit. Tom Charles (handicap -3.8) of Trafford AC and Callum Rowlinson (handicap -2.0) of Sale Harriers were leading the race, and a sprint finish saw Charles take the win in 01:10:37, twelve seconds ahead of Rowlinson. Ruth Moran (handicap 6.5) of Horsforth Harriers won the women’s race in 01:28:14.
Full results can be found here.
Photo: Start of the half marathon © Tim Waterworth