And They're Off! | |||||
2019 Ealing Half Marathon will take place this Sunday
The eighth Ealing Half Marathon takes place on Sunday 29 September. 7,000 runners from over 26 countries will take on one of the UK’s most popular races. Ealing Half Marathon is West London’s only fully closed road half marathon and is well known for its fantastic community support. Thousands of spectators are once more expected to line the route and support the runners, contributing to the famous #EalingFeeling. Lining up at the start will be elite runners including Jonathan Poole, winner of the 2018 and 2017 Ealing Half Marathon, and Rachel Thomas, winner of the female title in 2018. It promises to be a competitive race as they are joined by fellow elites Paul Martelletti (2nd placed male in 2018), Ollie Garrod (3rd placed male in 2018), Colin Maher, Alexander Bampton, Jill Collett, Alice Braham, Lois Bond, Lucie Custance, Alice Whiley and Rose Harvey. Also running in this year’s race will be British singer, songwriter and actor Ryan Molloy, who played the original Frankie Valli in the West End hit musical Jersey Boys. Local resident, comedian and author Shappi Khorsandi will be the official race starter and cheering runners on their way as they leave Lammas Park at 9am. The 13.1-mile course will then take in the leafy streets and parks of Central Ealing, Montpelier, Pitshanger, West Ealing, Hanwell and St Stephens, before returning to Lammas Park, where Race HQ is located. The route map can be downloaded here. This popular autumn event has once again sold out and charity places are also now closed. The official race charities are Cancer Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Macmillan Cancer Support and Meadow House Hospice, and the 2019 event is expected to make a significant contribution to the £2 million that has been raised for charity in the last seven years. Kicking off race weekend is Ealing Mini Mile on Saturday 28th September, giving young runners and their families the chance to get involved in this big weekend of sport. Sponsored by St Augustine’s Priory, Ealing Mini Mile consists of five separate races over the course of the afternoon for the different age categories: 6-7, 8, 9, 10-11 and 12-16 years. There is also a Family Mini Mile race for young runners aged 5 and under, starting at midday. This popular event sold out weeks in advance and friends, families and supporters are encouraged to come along and cheer on the youngsters as they take on the one-mile route around Lammas Park. Race weekend key timings: Saturday 28th September 12:00 Family Mini Mile ages 5 and under 13:40 Ealing Mini Mile age 8 14:20 Ealing Mini Mile age 9 15:00 Ealing Mini Mile ages 10-11 15:40 Ealing Mini Mile ages 12-16 Sunday 29th September 07:00 Race HQ including baggage marquees open 08:30 Group warm up, provided by Ealing Fitness Clinic 08:45 Runners enter the start funnel according to expected finish time 09:00 Ealing Half Marathon race start 10:05 First finishers 11:30 Prize presentation ceremony 12:00 Last finishers 13:30 Race HQ closes The full race guide can be downloaded here. As always, runners can look forward to a generous selection of prizes at the 2019 Ealing Half Marathon. The top three male and female will receive cash and Up & Running vouchers, with the winners also receiving champagne. Up & Running vouchers will be awarded to age category winners. Vouchers are also up for grabs for the first male and female Ealing resident, best fancy dress and volunteers. Road closures will come into effect before the start of the race, but the race village in Lammas Park is very well served by public transport. Full details about road closures and bus diversions can be found on the race website at www.ealinghalfmarathon.com/resident-information. There are plenty of excellent vantage points for spectators, including the following locations that runners pass by twice: Uxbridge Road, Pitshanger Lane, Drayton Bridge Road and Cuckoo Avenue. Once again Xempo race pacers will be helping runners to achieve their target times on race day. The pace makers will be clearly identifiable and covering the following times: 1h30, 1h40, 1h50, 2h00, 2h10, 2h20 and 2h30. Community radio station Westside Radio 89.6FM will be broadcasting Ealing Half Marathon live between 8am and 1pm, with live race updates and reports from the start and finish line. Event merchandise for adults and children is available to purchase in advance. The 2018 Ealing Half Marathon was won by Jonathan Poole with a time of 1:09:02 and Rachel Thomas with a time of 1:20:28. Sandra Courtney, Race Director, commented, “We are so excited to welcome all our runners to Ealing Half Marathon 2019. This is the eighth anniversary of the race and we are immensely proud to see it get bigger and better each year. We have a fantastic team of 700 volunteers all ready to make the day run smoothly and we can’t wait to cheer on every single runner, from our local Ealing Eagles running club members to our amazing charity runners and everyone else from near and far taking on the race for reasons of their own. Good luck to everyone, and we’ll see you on the day!” Sponsors and partners of the 2019 Ealing Half Marathon include Up & Running, ASICS, Breathe Unity, Elan Water, St Augustine’s Priory School, The Forester Ealing, Move Clinics, Ealing Fitness Clinic, Westside, Fuller’s, Equinox, Ecowood Moves and FinisherPix. Ealing Half Marathon takes place at 9am on Sunday 29 September 2019. General entries and charity entries are now closed.
September 24th 2019
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