Harriers pair seal GM wins
ANYONE who lives in or remotely near Manchester will know that the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run 10km is a special date in the racing calendar.
Encapsulating everything that we love about Manchester; the comradery, the community spirit and good old-fashioned hard work, the Manchester 10km is a must for anyone, whether you are a seasoned runner or a once-a-week jogger.
This year, amongst the 30,000 participants, we saw some familiar faces in Mo Farah and David Weir and got a chance to glimpse some of the upcoming superstars of the future in the junior races.
This year’s Stockport Harrier superstars came in the form of Anya Waugh and Freya Murdoch, who both won their own junior races respectively and keep adding an impressive amount of metal ware to their collections.
Anya is a 12 year old, T54 wheelchair racer from Stalybridge and she pulls no punches when it comes to training and racing, being seen out on the track in all conditions this winter.
She has notched up some impressive results and was the fastest Under 11 in the country, with her sights set on being a Paralympic Athlete in the future.
After winning the 2.5km junior race in 2015 and 2016, Anya returned this year to make her mark on the Manchester streets once again and reclaim her crown.
Cheered on by parents Chris and Nicola, Anya was once again first across the finish line in an incredible time of 10min12secs and 4 minutes ahead of second place Danielle Nagata.
The heat was too much for many athletes this year but Anya is clearly on fire this summer and Stockport Harriers can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.
Another name that I seem to mention at least once a week is that of Freya Murdoch.
Freya dominated the Under 13 cross-country races in the Manchester league this season and seems to be continuing this form well into the Track and Field season, now specialising in the 1200m.
Being easily able to knock out a sub-20 minute 5km, the 2.km Junior Great Manchester Run proved to be another walk in the park for Freya, who not only won the Under 13 Girls race but did it in a blistering time of 8min45secs.
To put this in perspective, only 4 athletes in this race, out of 103, managed to finish in less than 16 minutes.
Saffron Meade was the second Stockport Harrier in the Under 13 Girls and 5th overall.
Saffron also raised an incredible £1000 for the Christie.
After Anya and Freya had set the bar so high, it was then up to the 10km athletes to try and recreate their success. Do I even need to mention that Mo won? In the Men’s Wheelchair 10km, seasoned athlete David Weir saw a return to form with yet another win in a time of 21min28secs and Stockport’s Michael Taylor placed 9th in 37mins8secs, the fastest Harrier over this distance on the day.
In the Women’s Wheelchair 10km, Liz McTernan took victory in 34mins20, but it was Stockport athletes Helen Gilham and Lucy Keyworth who claimed silver and bronze in 40min51secs and 45min28secs respectively.
Overall, 10 Stockport Harriers took on the 10km distance in sweltering conditions.
First Stockport runner over the line was Gavin Astin in a healthy 39mins3secs although it seems fair to say that Anya and Freya stole the show that day.