THIS year’s English Half Marathon was a triumph for Warrington with the first three men to cross the finish line and the first woman all hailing from the town.

More than 2,000 runners pounded the streets on Sunday, including athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia, and they were cheered along by hundreds of spectators.

Daniel Cliffe, for Liverpool Harriers, won the race in one hour and nine minutes while Louise Blizzard, from Belgrave Harriers, was the first woman to cross the finish line in one hour and 22 minutes.

The 13.1-mile race, now in its third year, supports both Warrington and national charities. In the previous two years those taking part have managed to raise more than £300,000.

Diana Terris, chief executive of Warrington Borough Council, completed half of the race as part of a relay in one hour and 15 minutes.

She said: “It really was fantastic and it was great to see such a lot of support from residents for the runners which really spurred us all on. I would like to congratulate everyone who took part in the run and the organisers for putting on such a great event.”

Visit english-half.co.uk for more information.

AN Appleton woman ran to raise the profile of the rare illness her boyfriend’s mum has.

Jane Houghton, of Willow Lane, Appleton, fell ill in July 2001.

Symptoms suffered by the 47-year-old included the constant sensation of being on a rough sea.

After visiting her GP, Jane, who is married to Neil, aged 47, was referred to neurologists at hospitals in Liverpool and Warrington, but nobody could figure out the problem.

It was after searching online that Jane found an American website containing details about a condition called Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS).

Jane was diagnosed with MdDS in September 2002.

Twenty-two-year-old Hayley Wilkinson, the partner of Jane’s son Ben, also aged 22, took part to raise money for the American MdDS Foundation.

Hayley, of Shepperton Close, completed the course in two hours and two minutes with friend Mark Matthews, aged 32 and an instructor at Warrington Kickboxing Studio.

To sponsor Hayley, who has so far raised £640, go to firstgiving.com/fundraiser/ HayleysHalfMarathon/ englishhalfmarathon.