Runners go formal at half marathon

TWO friends from Caversham drew the attention of spectators and fellow runners as they completed Henley Half Marathon dressed in suits.

Keiran White, 26, who works in financial regulation, ran the 13.1-mile course dressed in a dark suit complete with a red tie and Sam Rodda, 25, a teacher, wore cream slacks, a blue shirt, striped tie and sailor’s hat.

The pair, who finished in a time of one hour and 51 minutes, said they had decided to wear the outfits as a bit of fun while pacing their friends through their first half marathon.

Mr White joked: “I believe a half marathon is a formal occasion.”

He added: “We haven’t done any training in suits apart from running to the car park and back just a minute ago.”

In his trouser pockets he had his phone, wallet and running gels, in his breast pocket a pocket square and in the inside pocket a race plan he had written.

The pair also took a portable speaker which they used to play songs by Adele up Icehouse Lane, a notorious mile-long hill climb in the middle of the course.

Mr Rodda said they had only decided on the idea the night before over text. “Kieran just loves work,” he joked. “He’s got to be in the office at like 3pm today, so he thought he’d get on straight on that fast train to London after running through the finish line.”

At the end of the race Mr White said it had been easier than he had expected. “I’m feeling all right,” he said. “Three kilometres in I was thinking “I’m really hot, I’ve made a mistake” but then the rain was like quite nice and I tipped some of the water on my head.

“But otherwise, it was all right. It was quite comfy.”

Mr Rodda said: “It was good. The hat stayed on but I had to adjust my tie a bit.

“The hill was hard, I think we went up it a bit too fast. But it was good fun.”

The pair said they were not put off by the experience and would be keen to participate in a “suit world championship”.

Around 1,200 runners took part in the event, organised by Henley Rugby club with Krono Sports, and which featured a 10km and 5km route in addition to the half marathon course.

The longest route started and finished at the Rugby Club in Marlow Road and took runners out towards the Flowerpot in Aston, back into town and out to Fawley up Icehouse Lane, known as “heartbreak hill”, before heading to Assendon and back to the club via Fair Mile.

The race was won by James Plumstead, a dentist from Bath who finished the course in a time of one hour, 18 minutes and 8 seconds.

Mr Plumstead, 32, said he wanted to take part in the race as his wife Kirsten grew up in Shiplake.

“My wife is from here, so I thought it’d be fun to do the local half.” He said. “I really enjoyed it and I enjoyed the hill actually.

“The final 5k felt good and coming down the fair mile was nice. It’s a really pretty course.”

Of her husband’s win Mrs Plumstead said: “In the nicest sort of a way we weren’t really expecting him to win so it was amazing and I’m so pleased.”

Mr Plumstead was followed by Angus Wilson, a software engineer from Twyford, who crossed the line in a time of one hour, 20 minutes and 19 seconds.

Mr Wilson who turned 33 on the day of the event said: “It’s good fun until the bit at the far end which feels a bit like cross country.

“But it’s good to keep it mixed-up and it keeps you engaged. The downhill is probably even worse than the hill up.”

In third place was Neal Jeffs, 50, who was celebrating 24 years of running the race convectively. Mr Jeffs, a procurement director from Ascot, said that achievement had included taking an old race number from his loft and running the course by himself when the race was cancelled in 2020 due to the covid lockdown.

He finished the course this year in a time of one hour and 22 minutes. Mr Jeffs said: “I’ve run it every year since 2001 and I’m 50 years of age now, so still holding up.”

Mr Jeffs previously came second in the race in 2019 and third in 2023. He said: “I think I’m running out of years to win it, but you never know, I might win it as a 51-year-old.”

The first woman across the line was Mel Weir who ran the course in a time of one hour 24 minutes and 16 seconds, putting her seventh overall.

Ms Weir, 35, who lives in Henley, said she had run the route a couple of times in training and didn’t mind the hilly terrain.

“The hills are killer, but I actually love them,” she said. “It was actually quite nice to have it at the halfway point to mix it up.

“It’s just something to aim for and a different focus rather than just running on like straight roads.”

Ms Weir said she has been a cross-country runner since childhood and currently runs for both the Wickham Phoenix Harriers and F45 gym in Gardiner Place

She said it was her first time running the event, having been unable to take part in previous years due to pregnancy and looking after her two young children, William, aged three, and Oscar, who is one.

“I wanted to win and I’m super competitive.” Ms Weir said: “I was weirdly really nervous, but I think that was a good thing.”

The 10km race was won Harry Kirkwood aged 25 who had travelled from Banbridge in Northern Ireland to take part in the event.

Mr Kirkwood who finished with a time of 38 minutes and 23 seconds said he was keen to take part in the event as his aunt and uncle Stephen and Tara Patton live in the town.

He said that his relatives had driven him up Icehouse Lane before the race to help him better understand the course.

Mr Kirkwood said: “I actually reconned the hill yesterday, so that was good to actually understand how steep the hill actually was. But it was really tough.

“And then coming down was hard as well because I ran the Bucharest marathon last week, so my legs are pretty cooked.”

Mrs Patton who lives in Harpsden Road said she was very excited to see her nephew win.

She said: “We haven’t seen him run before; we just hear about the medals and the events. So it’s really lovely that he came over to Henley so we can be part of it.”

The first women across the line in the 10km was Freya Wilkinson of Berkshire Road.

Ms Wilkinson, 37, who is a part time hairdresser at La Medusa in Station Road crossed the line in a time of 45 minutes and three seconds.

Ms Wilkinson said she had been training for the run with her group Run Henley, which meets outside Henley Library once a week for interval training.

“I’ve done this route before, but last year I was injured.” She said: “Once you’re at the top of the hill, you’re flying down.”

The 5km race was won by 23-year-old Katie Thompson with a time of 19 minutes and 17 seconds.

Ms Thompson, who is from Great Missenden, said she ran cross-country as a child and in secondary school but picked up the sport again following the pandemic.

She said: “It was quite nice to start with some of the half marathon runners because some of them are quite a lot quicker.

“Luckily it wasn’t too windy today either so I didn’t have to stick behind too many people.”

The 1km fun run was won by Lucas Robinson aged 11 from Henley in a time of 4 minutes and 18 seconds. He was followed by Isaac Kennard, aged 10 who finished in four minutes and 35 seconds and Abel Jani aged nine, who came third with a time of five minutes and two seconds.

Lucas who is a member of Reading Athletics Club said that running was his favourite sport.

“It was quite easy, with no hills.” he said.

Mayor Tom Buckley who started the half marathon with an air horn said that the event was going from “strength to strength”.

He said: “I signed up for it earlier this year, unfortunately, I was put off by being the mayor.

“But hopefully when I get back next year and I will run it and I’ll get back to seeing what it’s like on the other side of the tape.”

He said he wanted to see the town making a “bigger thing” of the event in future.

“I wish all the runners well and I hope everybody from Henley comes out and cheers them on this year and next year.”

The course was marshalled by a number of volunteers including army cadets from Henley detachment in Friday Street and members of the Freemasons.

Detachment commander Colour Serjeant Matthew Case, 25, said: “Every year we assist with Henley half marathon.

“Our cadets help marshal and make sure the pedestrians are standing in the right place, so the runners have a clear line to run in and we just support and cheer everyone on as they run by.”

A number of supporters lined the course in the centre of town, on the fair mile and in the Assendons to cheer in the runners, with some holding homemade signs.

Keela Saunders from Henley and Albany Barralet from ascot came out to support their friend Poppy McGlyne who was running in aid of a bowl cancer charity.

The girls, both 17, were holding a sign that read “Go Poppy” and were holding plastic hand clappers.

Keela said: “We saw her like three times, so it was really good, and we drove past her in the car.”

Katie Tillyer, 25, a former Gillotts pupil ran the half marathon with former school friends Olivia Vail and Elizabeth Landen.

Ms Tillyer, who works in an auction house, said: “It was the first half marathon I’ve done so definitely the best one.

“I want to say thank you to all the stewards. They did genuinely make me feel better going around when I wanted to stop.

“It was really nice and made me want to keep going.”

ENDS