May has been a great month for all runners in the UK – as a matter of fact, the whole year has been great. Since the beginning of 2018 there have been over 50 marathon races in the UK, and there will be far more than that by the end of the year.
Shakespeare Marathon and Half-Marathon
In the town of Stratford, each year the Rotary club organises a marathon and half-marathon named after one of the greatest authors of all time, William Shakespeare. This year, the Shakespeare Marathon and Half-Marathon, one of the best running events in the world, took place on May 13th for the 37th time.
The Shakespeare Marathon is famous for being perfectly organised. Admiring the lush countryside Warwickshire is well-known, the runners had an opportunity to admire the sights of world-famous Stratford-upon-Avon and run past some of the most significant buildings in the country. The starting line was placed in the centre of the town where the runners and spectators could enjoy seeing Shakespeare’s old school, Holy Trinity Church, the River Avon, and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The course was mainly flat, comprised of roads and bound grit, which made the race suitable for both newbie marathon runners and more experienced athletes going for a personal record. Around 3500 runners competed for prestige and amazing prizes in the two-lap race, covering 26.2 miles in the marathon and 13.1 miles in the half-marathon.
Winners of 2018 Shakespeare Marathon and Half-Marathon
The best-prepared and most persistent runners finished the races with the best time. The winner of the marathon race was Tom Buckley with a time of 02:41:58. Richard Walsh finished second in 02:48:07, and Matt Biggs came in third in 02:50:13. As for the women, Clare Rees came in first in 03:09:22, followed by Kathryn Chapman in 03:10:21 and Anna Ward in 03:12:31.
The winner of the half-marathon was Simon Birch with a time of 01:10:41, Alasdair Russell came in second in 01:12:32, and Orlando Corea rounded out the top three in 01:30:13. In the women’s race, Nicola Sykes outran the others with a time of 01:23:24, ahead of Joanne Mccandless who finished in 01:23:59 and Abby Halcarz in 01:24:22.
Forthcoming Marathons
If you didn’t have a chance to participate in the Shakespeare Marathon and Half-Marathon, here are a few marathons in June that we suggest taking part in:
June 3 – Walled City Marathon – Derry, Londonderry
June 10 – Strathearn Marathon –Strathearn, Perthshire
June 16 – South Downs Marathon – Chichester, West Sussex
June 22 – Colworth Marathon Challenge – Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire
June 23 – Malvern Midsummer Marathon – Malvern, Worcestershire
