Leigh Hill Half Marathon
The Leith Hill Half
Dr Rob McCaffrey / 12.03.2009
The Wife Carrying Race and the Leith Hill Half Marathon brought competitors to Dorking from across the country and from around the world on Sunday 8 March. The races aid a number of local charities including the Rainbow Trust and Rianna\'s Fund, and are sponsored by the Pilgrim Brewery in Reigate. The races are also supported by Dorking and Mole Valley Athletic Club. The races take place with the kind permission of the Surrey Wildlife Trust and the National Trust.In the Wife Carrying Race couples, who did not need to be married, raced over a course of around 200m, with a slight incline to the half way point and a \'sprint\' back down to the finish. The winning couple, Matt Evans and Jatinder Gill adopted the exotic-looking \'Estonian\' hold (see photo), and romped home in a new course record of 1 minute and 51 seconds. This technique is the preferred method for those who take \'wife\' carrying seriously. It is recommended that the \'wife\' wears a crash helmet though! The winners won their combined weight in beer from the Pilgrim Brewery - a liver-testing 120kg-worth. While the other finishers won themselves beer vouchers, the last couple to finish, Simon Bickerstaff and Louise Piears, won themselves a tin of dog food and a pot noodle.
The main race of the day the Leith Hill Half Marathon, with over 3600ft of total ascent/descent and some strength sapping short but very steep climbs, is a half marathon from Dorking to the top of the highest point in southeastern England and back. This years event saw nearly 300 runners competing - including participants from Greece and Mexico - tackling a challenging course over the Nower, up Wolvens Lane to Coldharbour and to Leith Hill Tower - and back again. The off-road course was predominant dry and fast, with the predicted rain replaced by blue skies and sunshine for the majority of the day. The race was won by Andy Ward (37) of Herne Hill Harriers in 1:25:57, with Justin West (36) second in 1:27:08 and Michael Maranzano (32, Kingston AC) third in 1:27:34.
Meanwhile, a fantastic race was taking place between the top three ladies, who were separated on the finish line by a total of only 32 second. First lady home - and setting a new course record of 1:42:31 - was local girl Caroline Court (28) of Dorking and Mole Valley AC. Only 10 second behind her, however, was Angela Carpenter (39) of Chichester Runners, while Hannah Cunningham (26, Serpentine) was third lady home in 1:43:03. The first three ladies home beat the old course record of 1:43:05.
The event was being used by several racers as a \'warm-up\' for the bigger marathons to come, including the London Marathon and the Marathon des Sables - one competitor felt the need to carry an extra 10kg of water on the run ... just for practise!
The last finisher came home in 3:32:45, just as the rain came on.See All Event Posts
