Picrures John Hopkins
AN estimated 6,000 runners descended on Warrington today for the town’s Running Festival – bringing colour, noise and sporting excitement to the streets but also causing significant traffic congestion around the town centre.
The fifth annual Warrington Running Festival, presented by New York Bakery Co. in support of local charities including St Rocco’s Hospice and Warrington Disability Partnership, saw runners compete in the Half Marathon, 10K, 5K and Junior races.
The event started and finished around the iconic Golden Gates at Warrington Town Hall, with Bank Park providing the festival village.
With roads closed to traffic for the races, thousands of runners were able to take over the centre of Warrington, creating a spectacular sight for spectators who turned out to cheer them on.
But the scale of the event also had a major impact on motorists.
Significant traffic congestion was experienced around Warrington town centre as road closures and diversions were put in place to accommodate the races.
The results published by RunThrough showed some fast times across all three chip-timed races.
Half Marathon
The men’s race was won by Daniel Cliffe, who completed the 13.1-mile course in approximately 1 hour 7 minutes.
He was followed by Danny Hatton in 1:11:25, with Jonathan Manning third 1:11.43.
The women’s race was won by Rebecca Gray, representing Quads Running Club, Quays Running Club in 01:21:45, followed by April Thorpe, Clayton Le Moores in 01:25:27 and Emily Head in 01:28:42.
10K
The men’s 10K was won by Elliot Palmer from Vegan Runners, with a time of approximately 32 minutes 34 seconds.
Ewan Heritage was second in 34:02, while Grzegorz Niewiadomski finished third in 34:14 for Lancaster Morecambe Athletic Club.
The women’s race was headed by Anna Begbie in 40:54, followed by Melissa Stabler in 40:56, with Georgia Neary from Warrington Road Runners in third in 41:23.
5K
The men’s 5K saw Matt Farley take first place in a blistering 16:56.
Kieran Cann was second in 17:15, with Lewis Mcdonald third in 17:56.
The women’s 5K was won by Lotte Hendriksen, Liverpool Pembroke And Sefton, in a time of 18:35, with Elizabeth Lees, Warrington Athletics Club, 18:45 and Grace Rashid, Warrington Athletics Club, in 19:03, completing the leading places.
The event once again underlined just how popular running has become in Warrington, with runners of all ages and abilities taking part.
For many, the closed-road courses provided the chance to run through the heart of the town without having to worry about traffic.
For motorists, however, the experience was rather different.
With extensive closures affecting routes into and through the town centre, traffic was slow-moving in places and significant congestion built up during the morning, as drivers were diverted around the race routes.
The festival has nevertheless established itself as a major fixture in Warrington’s sporting calendar, with the organisers describing the 2026 event as one of their biggest yet.
And with thousands of runners, supporters and families descending on the town, the event once again gave Warrington a very different look for a Sunday morning.
For a few hours, Warrington belonged to the runners – although motorists were left wondering when the town would start moving again.
Results: RunThrough. Event information: Warrington Running Festival.
Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols celebrates alongside Cllr. Robin Firth
Half marathon winner Daniel Cliffe with a previous winner, locla running legend Derek Carey Vernon
