Mildred horses around as mane event at race
7KM MARK AFTER ESCAPING FROM FIELD
MEET Mildred, the superfit pony who gatecrashed the Trafford 10k.
The 12-year-old Shetland managed to join the race at the 7km mark after escaping from her field on Gorsey Lane in Warburton.
She galloped alongside runners for two whole kilometres before finally being caught near the 9km point by marshalls.
Her brief appearance in Sunday’s 10k certainly put a smile on the faces of both participants and spectators.
Aidan Grant posted on the Trafford 10k Facebook page: ‘Thanks for a great race today – what a fast field! Well done to the marshalls who caught the run-away pony. Being overtaken by it was probably the most surreal thing that’s happened to me during a race!’ Louise Best added: ‘The marshalls were great, standing there with big smiles and encouragement in the awful weather conditions. Thank you to them all. The pony added extra fun to the occasion!’
Nikki Butterworth, who takes care of Mildred, says the Shetland Pony is always up to no good and that she escaped from her field as the race passed their farm. She said it’s not the first time Mildred has gone AWOL either, apparently she loves to sneak out of the field and trot around the yard eating other horses’ feed.
This year’s Trafford 10k was won by Chris Thompson from Aldershot Farnham & District AC with a time of 28 minutes and 55 seconds.
The first woman to cross the finish line was Elinor Kirk, from Swansea Harriers, after 33 minutes and 33 seconds.