Defiant runners, spectators unite in force despite terror threat

Tens of thousands of runners and spectators from Manchester and further afield packed the city yesterday in an impressive show of defiance days after a suicide bomb killed 22 people and left dozens wounded.

American Dathan Ritzenhein and Ethiopian great Tirunesh Dibaba won the men’s and women’s Great Manchester Run races respectively after all the competitors observed a minute’s silence and poet Tony Walsh read out a poem including the line ‘Do something the city will remember’. “There is a spirit and history of community here. Choose love,” Walsh told the BBC prior to reading his poem.

The races-with over 30,000 runners young and old taking part-took place with the British Government having lowered the terror level from critical to severe on Saturday.

Some of the star names such as Peter Hook-bassist for iconic Manchester band Joy Division evolving into New Order-and former boxing world champion Anthony Crolla had relatives caught up in the bombing at the Manchester Arena on Monday.

Hook-running in his 11th Great Manchester Run-said his daughter Jessica had been at the Ariana Grande concert and his wife had become distraught when she took the call to be told there had been an incidentfortunately for them it all ended well.

“It is important to support people and the grieving families,” he told the BBC.

“Fortunately our 18-year-old daughter Jessica arrived home before it was on the television. “Physically she was fine but she’s suffered all week in other ways. My heart bleeds for other families. “Hopefully this makes people feel a bit better.”

‘MESSAGE OF DEFIANCE’

Crolla, who held the WBA lightweight belt from 2015 to 2016, had a 17-year-old female relative at the concert. “She is ok but she saw things you wouldn’t want anyone to see, let along a 17-year-old girl, of body parts and other such horrors,” the 30-yearold told the BBC.

One of the 22 people killed was 29-yearold Martyn Hett, who had been a devotee of long running British soap opera Coronation Street and especially one of its iconic characters Deirdre Barlow-to the extent he had a large tattoo of her on his left leg.

“I met him (Martyn Hett) one night and I saw his tattooo of Deirdre Barlow and I didnt know what to say to him,” said one of the cast members Bruno Langley, running in the race with several of his fellow actors to raise funds for a children’s hospital. — AP