Over 40,000 People Came Together In Manchester Yesterday, Uniting In A Sea Of Humanity, To Reflect Their Grief, Courage & Defiance After the Recent Atrocity At The Manchester Arena, For The Great Manchester Run
A Minute’s Silence Was Observed By Runners & Spectators, At The Beginning Of Every Single Race In The Run, During Which Tears Could Be Seen In The Eyes Of Many, But Also A Look Of Gritty Determination,
With The Opportunity To Be Able To Run To Show Their Love, Loyalty & Pride For Their City, And In The Words Of Paula Radcliffe “To Heal.”
Paula Said That In Times Of Both Happiness & Sadness, So Many People Turn To Sport, & Indeed Running Especially, To Demonstrate Their Humanity.
Following The Minute’s Silence, ‘Longfella’ Tony Walsh Raised The Crowd Once Again,
With His Powerful Recital Of His Poem “Do Something”
Once The Race Had Started, The Runners Looked Relieved To Be Able To Get Going, And “Do Something”
Running In Solidarity With Each Other, Raising Funds, And Showing Their Respects To The Victims.
People Were Running For Many Fantastic Causes,
Including The ‘We Stand Together’ Fund, Which Has Already Raised A Staggering £1.7 Million In Less Than A Week After The Terror Attack
In the Women’s Elite Race, It Was Tirunesh Dibaba Who Stormed To Victory, In A Time Of 31.03, Ahead Of France’s Christelle Daunay, Who Finished Second In 33.08, And Britain’s Katrina Wootton, Who Came Third With A Time Of 33.18
Tirunesh Was Accompanied By Britain’s Katrina Wootton In The Early Stages, But Raced Ahead About One Mile Into The Race, Running In A Relaxed Manner, Seemingly Having Fully Recovered From Her Exhaustion At The London Marathon. (Tirunesh Previously Won In Manchester In 2013, 2014 and 2016, And Is Also Ethiopia’s Three-Time Olympic Champion, And Five-Time World Track Gold Medallist.)
In The Men’s Elite Race, Dathan Ritzenheim Stormed To Victory In A Time Of 28.06, With Bernard Lagat Following Closely Behind At One Point, Trying His Best To Catch Up With Ritzenheim, (Looking As Though He Might Succeed For A While), But In The End, Ritzenheim Powered Away From Lagat, With Immense Determination On His Face, Crossing The Line Ahead Of Lagat, Who Was Seven Seconds Behind, With Mokoka Third, Running 28.22. British Olympian Andy Vernon Raced A Spectacular Race, Clocking In At 28.36, In Sixth Place. Paula Radcliffe Commented That Ritzenheim Had “Raced To His Strengths.”
Rio Paralympian Simon Lawson Won The Men’s Elite Wheelchair Race In Dominant Style, With A Time Of 21.53, Whilst The Women’s Elite Winner Was Para-Triathlete Lizzie Trench, Who Won With A Superb 33.11
There Were Multiple Races Throughout The Event, And Included Races For Athletes Of All Levels, Including Races Especially For Children
So Many People Had Come Together For The Event, That The Athletes’ Start Times Had To Be Staggered Over A Two Hour Period
The View Of The Runners Was Truly Inspiring
Spenborough’s Joe Sagar Was The First Athlete Across The Finish Line In The Men’s Inaugural Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run Half-Marathon, Clocking In At 72.54, Finishing Ahead Of Springfield Striders’ Mark Newton with 73.10, And Herne Hill’s Abdi Madar with 73.59
The Women’s Race Was Won By Notts’ Lucy Niemz in 84.24, With Louise Cartmell Of Moray Road Runners Coming Second In 85.31, And Annie Byrne In 85.51
Thousands Upon Thousands Of People Came Together Yesterday
Running To The Very Best Of Their Ability, For The Great Manchester Run
Running In Defiance & Unity After The Horrific Manchester Atrocity
And So Many Selfless, Inspiring Stories Have Emerged Of People With Physical & Mental Disabilities (And Diseases) Themselves
Racing For Others, And Their Chosen Charities, That It Only Goes To Prove, Once Again, That
THE TRIUMPH OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT WILL NEVER BE BEATEN
Words by Amanda Waters
© Amanda Waters