Race date: 2 March 2025

Race distance: half marathon

This was my second go at the Liversedge Half, which is probably the nearest half marathon to where I grew up.

I first did it in 2018 and had been meaning to go back ever since but never got round to it. This year, it turns out, was a big one for the race. It was the inaugural “Roberttown Run Fest”, with the first running of the Roberttown 10k and a modified half marathon route, which unfortunately removed the terrifying (and probably dangerous) pelt down the hill to Bailiff Bridge. Going by my time, I think the new route is a bit easier. It begins in the centre of Roberttown and immediately passes the pub where we used to do the quiz, then there’s a little loop round to Hartshead with a nasty little climb and it’s back through the village and down towards Liversedge (where each morning before dawn you can see the kidneys, sat silently with their rods, hoping to catch an elusive silvery spleen for breakfast).

It’s then 5km of steady climbing to the top of Windy Bank where my mate Emre used to live, and over the motorway bridge. I ate a gel at this point, just before the second water stop. I was still expecting a mad downhill section so figured I’d get some fuel in before the rush. However, we turned left towards Brighouse and then off to the right down a lane. I spent a mile or so chatting to a friendly bloke from Halifax who was running with his phone in his hand, which always makes me wince. I was also a bit worried at this point that I wasn’t starting to blow up. Surely I hadn’t been training properly?

Kilometres 11 to 13 meandered about on some undulating lanes which included a marshal with jelly babies (yes!), then it was back onto the main road for a proper draggy climb, during which I overtook a couple of people and continued to feel OK. I got an orange segment (under-rated race snack) and another jelly baby at the last water stop and then most of the last three miles was over the flatter bits of ground we’d covered already. I even managed a bit of a sprint finish, complete with shout of “runner behind you” at one of the 10k runners who had got his medal and was meandering around on the finishing straight. Although I am still slightly concerned it didn’t hurt more, and also annoyed that I can’t have been trying hard enough, I did enjoy this.

For anyone looking for a good Sheffield Half warmup race, I’d recommend Liversedge. There’s a decent amount of up and down but it’s not as relentless as the first half of Sheffield, and it’s in the hilly, well-thumbed and looked-down-upon Heavy Woollen District, which is the best place for a thing to be. It’s also very well marshalled and this year’s medal was designed to double as a coaster if you snap the bit that holds the ribbon off.

I was 123rd of 265 in 1:50:14. That’s five minutes faster than last time and I am very much not a better runner. The winners were Adam Peers (Wakefield and District Harriers) in 1:11:45 and April Stewart (Halifax Harriers & AC) in 1:27:59.

Striders result