IT was a game of two halves for athletes from Dudley Kingswinford Running Club last weekend with athletes competing in the Birmingham Black Country Half Marathon and the Shifnal Half Marathon.
The Birmingham Black Country Half Marathon is a point-to-point event from Wolverhampton to Birmingham along the canal towpaths starting by Wolverhampton station and finishing at Brindley Place.
The course, as you would expect, is flat apart from the rise and fall of the bridges crossing the canal, but still proved tough as the terrain is far from smooth running through the industrial heartland of the Black Country to its finish by Gas Street Basin.
Rebecca Warren made her half marathon debut finishing in 1.48.44 for 116th place, Dave Garbutt was not too far behind in 1.53.36 in 170th and Helen Davies made up the trio coming home in 227th place in a time of 1.57.41.
Twenty four hours later a group of hoops turned out for the Shifnal Half Marathon following a very rural route along country lanes through Ryton, Beckbury and Kemberton on a tour of the Shropshire villages before finishing back in Shifnal.
Matt Biggs was first back for the club in sixth place in 1.25.03, although placed in second for much of the race he was hunted down by a group of Telford athletes and was passed with four miles to go. Dave Norman was eighth in 1.26.36 to claim the first MV40 prize, Simon Hughes came home in 1.37.56 for 29th, Sally McConville was 111st in 2.07.28, Preston Grundy bagged 1st MV65 in 2.14.14 and 126th overall and Narinda Hughes was 137th in 2.21.23.
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