Events are back in Sheffield with a Course record to boot!

Forget music – today the hill was alive with the sound of runners of all ages and abilities tackling the 13.1 miles of the Asda Foundation Sheffield Half Marathon

A taxing mile-long climb up Ringinglow Road is a key feature of the event but it proved no match for the thousands of participants who conquered the hill and were rewarded with wonderful views of the Peak District.

After last year’s postponements thousands of runners today pulled on their trainers in support of an array of good causes and helped raise vital funds following over a year without running events in the City.

For the first time in the events history, the Half Marathon and the Sheffield 10K took place on the same day this year with a new finish line for the half marathon.

First up today was the Asda Foundation Sheffield Half Marathon and no better way for the event to return than with a course record.

First home with the new course record was Andrew Heyes in a time of 01:06:04. Mohammed Saleh soon followed in second place in 01:10:57 with Scott Hinchcliffe in third with a time of 01:11:29.

Caroline Brock was the first woman home in 01:23:27 followed by Eve Pannone who clocked 01:26:04 for second spot and Bex Stone who took third in 01:27:26

And if one challenge wasn’t enough for today’s Half Marathon runners it also included a triple challenge giving entrants a chance to be crowned winners of the Outdoor Peaks Challenge in a timed hill climb, triumph in a largely downhill 10K challenge section and cross the finish line first to lift the Asda Foundation Sheffield Half Marathon title.

The Asda Foundation Sheffield 10K followed shortly after with Jamie Hall taking first place in 00:31:24, second went to Chris Sleath in 00:33:54 and third was Liam Walker 00:34:34.

The women’s race was won by Eleanor Baker in 00:38:27, second Elaine Livera in 00:40:03 and Sarah Imbush in third in 00:41:13

Tristan Batley-Kyle, head of events for Run For All, said: “Yet again the support from the people of Sheffield has been incredible and we are so grateful for your continued support. We are enormously grateful to everyone – runners, spectators, sponsors and not least are hard-working volunteers – who contributed today’s success.”

The field also included hundreds of businessmen and women taking part in the Sheffield 10K Corporate Challenge and Sheffield Half Marathon Technology Group Team Challenge, in which companies and other organisations compete for the title of fastest firm in the race. The results of these will be announced later.

The event’s partner charities are Macmillan Cancer Support, The Sheffield Hospitals’ Charity, Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, The Children’s Hospital Charity, St Luke’s Hospice, Cavendish Cancer Care, Sheffield Age UK, Jane Tomlinson Appeal, the Snowdrop Project, The Children’s Air Ambulance, PACES, Sheffield Mencap and Gateway and Sheffield Futures

The Sheffield Half Marathon and 10K are also supported by the Asda Foundation, Sheffield City Council, Outdoor City Sheffield, Arla Protein, Erdinger, BBC Radio Sheffield, Hallam FM, High 5, Sportsshoes and JustGiving.