Braving The Elements In The 2024 Brett Lydd Half Marathon

Runners at this year’s Brett sponsored event once again tackled mother nature’s tricky conditions in their 20 mile and Half Marathon races.

Over 700 runners took to the lanes of Lydd and Romney Marsh in the Brett sponsored 2024 long-distance race organised by Nice Work. Experienced runners and brand-new racers braved the wet weather, with some achieving new personal bests.

Maeve Kenny, winner of last year’s Brett-Lydd 20-mile race, triumphed again and took first place with a time of 2:12:49, beating her previous time of 2:16:58. Maeve was followed by Jennifer Ansell and Sarah Shepherd, with times of 2:19:58 and 2:20:54.

Winning the men’s 20 mile was Ben Shearer with an impressive time of 1:51:12, finishing shortly ahead of his Cambridge Harriers team-mate Thomas Brooke, who set a second-place time of 1:53:02. In third was runner Anthony Webb, with a time of 1:53:28.

Rachael Wood, Nice Work’s Managing Director said: “This was the 18th year of the event that helps raise money for local community groups in Lydd. Sponsorship supports our wonderful helpers from the Cubs, Scouts, and Brownies, all of whom braved Sunday's rainy weather to cheer round the runners!” 

In the men’s half marathon the top five runners finished with only 18 seconds between first and fifth place, with Paul Jones emerging as the victor with a time of 1:18:01 and in the women’s half marathon, Hazel Behogg finished first with a time of 1:29:36

This year’s race saw Samantha Follington, Head of People at Brett Group, participate, finishing in fifth place in the women’s half marathon with a time of 1:40:04. Samantha commented:

“Running the Brett-Lydd half marathon was a great experience despite the wet and windy weather that came about as I neared the end of the race. I’m proud to have taken part, thank you to Nice Work for organising such a wonderful event – and providing Jaffa cakes for all at the finish line!”

Rachael Wood commented: “Our gratitude once again goes to the Brett Group for their unwavering support of this tremendous local event. The race was a huge success with lots of positive reviews from runners.”

If you are interested in taking part in next year's event, please visit the Nice Work website to register. Home | Nice Work Race Management (nice-work.org.uk)