Caroline White (80) – pictured above – was among the 5,373 finishers in less than four hours at the 42nd Reading Half Marathon promoted by Goldline Events on Sunday 14 April 2024. She also ran the inaugural Reading Half Marathon in 1983 and has run every race since! The local running celebrity – a regular at nearby Woodley parkrun – finished 5,277th this year in 3:05:36 (chip) and was second in the W75 age category.

Good conditions helped the elite to record superb winning times. At the head of the huge field was Ben Cole (Tonbridge AC) with a personal best and club M35 record by two seconds of 1:05:38 – having run 1:05:40 in Latvia last year!

Cole was over a minute clear as Tom Higgs (South London Harriers, 1:06:50) – with a PB by one second – and M40 James Connor (Havering AC, 1:07:41) joined him on the podium.

The women's race was equally fast as Kate Estlea-Morris (Aldershot, Farnham & District, 1:14:25 PB) topped the results list from W35 Cassie Thorp (City of Portsmouth AC, 1:15:22 PB) and Rhianne Hughes (Leeds City AC, 1:17:54).

The first-ever Reading Half Marathon in 1983 was held from Reading University at Whiteknights Park. There were 5,000 runners and a local university student, Mark Curzons, won in 1:07:45. Sweatshop took over the organisation in 2003 and Goldline Events took the helm in 2018. The race has grown in significance as the course was changed to the present fast route, with an amazing finish in the magnificent Madejski Stadium in front of 15,000 cheering spectators.

The Green Park Challenge Fun Run over approximately 3K supports the main event and also features the grandstand finish in Madejski Stadium. This year's winners were 15-year-old Sebastian Clark (The Pigott School, 9:24) and 12-year-old Frankie Staker (Maiden Erlegh School, 10:35) as 684 finished in 45:09.

Results and previous event reports can be found at the runABC South race listing here.

Images courtesy Reading Half Marathon on Facebook