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Race Report

Race Report
An ecstatic Steve Littler exceeded his own expectations by winning the eighth Edinburgh Marathon today after overhauling long-time leader Phil Hinch in the closing stages of a gruelling race.

The 36-year-old joiner who runs out of the Wesham club admitted he felt his chance had gone when he saw Hinch pulling away but upped his effort after gaining encouragement from a spectator who told him his rival was suffering badly in the heat.

"I thought the race was over when I could see him (Hinch) as I passed the power station and reckoned there was a two minute gap. However I was then told by one of the spectators that he had stopped and that there was only a minute between us. At the 25 mile-ish mark I felt he he was coming back to me but even then I thought the gap was too big. I knew he was struggling but I thought I was running out of distance because I didn't know where the finish line was," said Littler, who completed what was his first Edinburgh Marathon in 2:26:31.

"I saw him stop at the corner just before the home straight and I knew it was my race.
"Realistically ahead of the race it was my dream to be in the top three. That would have been everything, but winning it I'm just over the moon."

An emotional Littler afterwards dedicated the victory to his late mother.
"I lost my mum five years ago. She always came with me to races, so this win is for her," he said.
For Grimsby's Hinch it was an agonising defeat in every sense after he was forced to stop twice in the latter part of the race.

"I'm disappointed," he said.

"I probably went a little too fast. I cramped up at the 23 mile mark and stretched and seemed to be all right and thought I had it after that, but the last mile was a problem. I felt a twitch in my right hamstring and after that it was all about survival."

The women's event was won by Sarah Gee of Reading Roadrunners, who only started running seriously six years ago at the age of 40.

She also came from behind in her race, overhauling Julie Briscoe of Wakefield & District AC at the 20 mile mark.
"Julie went faster than I wanted to run but she slowed at 20 miles and I overtook her. She had never been out of my view and at most I was just 30 seconds behind her, but I knew I was catching her at around 15 to 16 miles," said Gee.
Her performance, achieved with a personal best time of 2:38:16 was all the more extraordinary considering the problems she encountered in the build-up after she was subjected to an attack from a dog while training, then had to deal with the trauma of her daughter suffering a broken ankle.

"I thought my hopes were dashed after the dog attacked me on Monday," she said, the puncture wounds still visible on her calf.

"Then I spent four hours in casualty on Thursday night after my daughter Eleanor fell off the beam at gymnastics training and broke her ankle, but she wanted me to run."

Gee is hopeful that her time will catch the eye of the English Commonwealth Games selectors.
For 34-year-old Briscoe it was a tough learning experience as she stepped up in distance.
"It was my first marathon and the first time I've run more than 20 miles and in the last six miles my legs went," she admitted.

In the Scottish Half Marathon, which took place earlier in the day as part of the Edinburgh Marathon Festival, British internationalist David Webb of Leeds AC lived up to his billing as pre-race favourite, winning in a time of 1:04:45.

"I'm very pleased with that result. This was part of my preparations for the European Championships Marathon in Barcelona in August. That was a new personal best, so it's a good way to start the heavy mileage for the marathon over the next couple of months," he said.

Last year's Edinburgh Marathon winner Martin Williams (Tipton Harriers) finished second in the half marathon in 1:06:24.

"David's in great shape right now, so I knew he'd be tough to beat and after four and a half miles he ran away from me," he said.

On a day of highly competitive racing 33-year-old Diane Lauder of Gala Harriers smashed her personal best by seven minutes to win the women's Scottish Half Marathon in 1:16:59 but only claimed victory after passing Edinburgh AC's Jennifer McLean in the last half mile.

"It was actually someone who was cheering on Jennifer who spurred me on in the closing stages," she said.
"My training has gone really well, but I didn't expect to win, however from 10K onwards I just kept narrowing the gap."

McLean drew consolation from setting her own personal best over the distance with a time of 1:17:09.
"It's slightly frustrating that she caught me just before the 13 mile mark, but I went out and ran my own race," said the 36-year-old.

The Hairy Haggis Team Marathon Relay event was won by Perth Roadrunners in a time of 2:37:59.

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