By Sam Millne
More than 10,000 runners took to the streets on Sunday as the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon came to Liverpool for the seventh and final time.
Following a two-year hiatus due to coronavirus, participants took part in races that covered various distances, from one mile all the way up to the full 26.2 miles.
On a sunny day, with conditions perfect for the runners, Matthew Crehan came first in the marathon, finishing with a brilliant time of 2:26:28.
After racing down Otterspool Promenade to victory at the M&S Bank Arena, Crehan, who lives locally said: “I ran Manchester two weeks ago and won that.
“I was like ‘well it’s the last one in Liverpool and I’m from St Helens, so I’m a Merseyside lad and I thought it would be great to come and do it.”
Just under 37 minutes later, Fay Hughes crossed the line as first woman.
After finishing, she revealed her decision to compete was so last-minute that nobody had come along to support her.
“I nearly hit snooze to be honest with you! I’m surprised I even made it up…
“I was so last-minute with coming; I didn’t even tell anyone and didn’t want to jinx it.”
The course began at the Pier Head, then included trips to Anfield and Goodison Park before meandering down to Sefton Park and finishing on the waterfront.
As the masses made their way round the route, many were dressed in costumes while one man even did the half marathon backwards.
(Fay Hughes – Winner of 2021 Liverpool Women’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon)
Among the crowds running for various causes was Mark Osborne.
The 58-year-old from Penrith was raising money for Parkinson’s UK in memory of his late father-in-law who died just under a year ago.
Osborne said: “He suffered from Parkinson’s and dementia in his later years, and he was born and bred in Liverpool as well, so I thought it was fitting to run the Liverpool marathon in memory of him.”
Also running for charity was Paul Marklove from Warrington.
The 41-year-old is a secondary school teacher and chose to support Young Minds.
He said: “There are loads of young people at the minute struggling with mental health, and I deal with that on a daily basis so it’s something that’s close to my heart.”
The event was the final edition of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Liverpool Running Series and Race Director Dean Smith gave his thanks to the city.
He said: “Since Rock ‘n’ Roll Liverpool first came to the city we’ve been welcomed with open arms.
“The runners, supporters, volunteers, partners and stakeholders have been instrumental in helping us create this outstanding event.
“We would like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who has been involved over the last seven years.
“It has been a great run but sadly the curtain has closed on the final show.”
