ST ALBANS DOES ITSELF PROUD IN ANOTHER BRILLIANT HALF MARATHON DAY

12.17.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 15th Jun 2009

Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Sandy Walkington has congratulated St Albans District Council on another glittering Half Marathon triumph. Sandy participated in the walking half marathon and his time of just under three hours allowed him to finish ten minutes ahead of Dominic Easter, the main half marathon winner - "but it helped starting two hours before Dominic!", Sandy said.

"Yet again the whole event was so well organised and gave such a good impression of St Albans. Various members of my family took part including two brothers-in-law running the half marathon, and my sister-in-law and two of her boys who took part in the 1.5k fun run. My brother-in-law Jonathan Weal was the youngest runner in the first London Marathon. Since then he has completed 27 marathons round the world and about 50 half marathons, so he has seen everyting good and bad about these events. He first came to St Albans last year and is again fulsome in his praise for the event. In particular he highlights the friendliness and courtesy of the organisers and the race marshals, saying they could not be more helpful.

"It is so good to have an event which gets so many different people challenging themselves at all levels of ability and fitness. I loved the excitement of St Albans and St Stephens School pupils when they retained their school trophy. Full marks to everyone involved," Sandy concluded.