Tony Valentine made an impressive Half Marathon debut against the nation's finest in Bristol last weekend. The 34 year-old Bolton Harrier decided to attempt the distance at the end of a hugely successful track season, which has seen him set Personal Best times across the board. Rather than attempt a low-key first outing in a local race, Valentine ambitiously chose to debut in the British trial for the World Half Marathon Championships to be held in Birmingham next month.
After a year that has seen him train for the 5000m on the track, a lack of specific endurance work was always going to limit his performance. However he made a positive start to the race and hung on in the last 3 miles to break the 70 minute barrier with 69:40. His 22nd position in a field of over 10,000 runners saw him claim the scalps of some experienced long distance specialists.
Valentine had previously shown form on the roads in 2009, comfortably winning the Bolton 10k and the Beverley 10k and also claiming victory in all 4 of the Chorley Night Series races. This was a major step-up however, and he showed that he has the potential at the longer distances to go with his speed on the track. The race was won by Kenyan Ezekiel Cherop, with Salford's Thomas Abyu runner-up ahead of Belgrave's Mark Miles.