Kirsty Longley takes nearly two minutes off the British W50 best despite being diverted on to a dual carriageway – in a race she entered at the last minute.

ASICS MANCHESTER HALF-MARATHON, Old Trafford, October 4

Molly Smith won the women's race at the Asics Manchester Half-Marathon on Sunday (Oct 4), clocking 71:40 to hold off Annabel Gummow by 19 seconds as Verity Hopkins finished third in 72:10.

The men's race was even closer. Alex Durant won in 62:51 after what organisers described as an electric sprint finish, with Omar Ahmed six seconds back in 62:57 and Max Milarvie third in 63:03.

Nathan Maguire won the men's wheelchair race in 47:01, with Sean Frame second in 48:04 and Anton Shepherd third in 54:31, while Roz Delap took the women's title in 72:13 ahead of Abi Hession's 76:22.

There was also a host of good masters age-group times in Manchester, led by Liverpool Pembroke & Sefton's Kirsty Longley.

The 50-year-old has already set an age-group mark for 10km this year, but here took nearly two minutes off Alice Braham's recent British W50 half-marathon best with a 75:46 clocking.

She said: "I enjoyed that and had lots left at the end so hopefully can go under 75 with some training."

She also felt she might have gone faster, explaining: "Frustratingly, after about five miles an orange tape came across me and it confused me and I was made to run on my own on the dual carriageway to the left, so I actually ran 13.21 miles, which was 5:44 pace."

Longley added: "I had not even trained for this as it was a last-minute racing decision."

Overall: 1 A Durant (Sheff & D) 62:51; 2 O Ahmed (Bir) 62:57; 3 M Milarvie (Dulw R) 63:03; 4 J Shayler (Abing) 63:11; 5 G Wheeler (Kiprun) 63:11; 6 L Smith (Norw) 63:37; 7 L Gratton (Ruge, M40) 63:46; 8 A Lawrence (VP&TH) 63:47; 9 H Johnson (Salf) 63:51; 10 J Niven (Liv) 63:58

M40: 2 T Charles (Chorl) 66:43; 3 J Hutchins (Wok) 66:56; 4 D Prosser (VP&TH) 68:07; 5 J Botham 68:09; 6 A Hill (BRAT) 68:35

M45: 1 J Gilbert (Kent) 66:19; 2 R Bentley (Merr’dd) 68:11; 3 J Horman (Liv) 68:14; 4 D Magalela (L Eaton) 69:03; 5 K Swainson (Sheff RC) 69:07

M50: 1 C Banno-Thornton (Chor) 72:18; 2 C Newton 72:23; 3 M Green (Merr’dd) 74:24

M55: 1 F Rafferty (S’port W) 74:01; 2 W Pearson (Elvet) 76:41; 3 D Wilkinson (S’port W) 77:38; 4 P Brydges (Chorl) 77:46

M60: 1 D Poole 84:01; 2 A Chambers (Ivanhoe) 84:34; 3 R Turner (Chorl) 85:08

M65: 1 M Morgan 94:17

M70: 1 J James (Ponte) 99:18

Women: 1 M Smith (Sale) 71:40; 2 A Gummow (Herts P) 71:59; 3 V Hopkins (Ton) 72:10; 4 R Weston (Inv EK) 72:37; 5 J Elgood (Nidd) 73:25; 6 C Cain (Best A, W40) 74:07; 7 I Jones (Liv) 74:10; 8 A Fishwick (W35) 74:30; 9 F Stapleton (Chelms) 74:30; 10 R Brown (Border, W40) 74:43

W40: 3 K Latham (Nant) 77:14

W45: 1 R Saponiere 76:21

W50: 1 K Longley (Liv PS) 75:45; 2 J Rosenberg (Alt) 81:32; 3 I McCoy (Milesby) 87:38; 4 N Walker 87:57

W55: 1 J Creed 84:06; 2 H Watters (Moor Rd) 85:14; 3 R Emery (Bot Ro) 85:19; 4 J Schade (Western, IoM) 89:02

W60: 1 J Matthews 88:43

W65: 1 L Rowlinson (Sale) 1:43:53

W70: 1 A Hirsch (Belle V) 1:45:38

CARDIFF HALF-MARATHON, Wales, October 4

While senior athletes were enjoying record-breaking runs at the sharp end, there were good veteran results behind.

Leading the way was former World Marathon Championship runner Angharad Mair, who took two minutes off Treena Johnson's three-week-old W65 British best with 86:09.

Mair said: "I would have loved a world record but that's another challenge again. I was also aware that Fiona Matheson had run 86:40 a couple of weeks before her 65th birthday so knew she was capable of that, so I definitely wanted to go below her time."

Up ahead, the first of the women over-40s was Tracy Barlow in 76:05.

Age-group results
M40: 1 G Williams (Swan) 71:40; 2 B Martin 72:10
M45: 1 A Watson (Notts) 67:26; 2 A Davies (Mald) 68:48
M50: 1 D Orchard 73:23
M55: 1 N Grinnell 76:33
M60: 1 A Blair 84:08; 2 S Chambers (Salf) 84:40; 3 B Park (S'port W) 85:06; 4 A Baker 85:16; 5 M Mellish (Run Ac Worth) 85:16
M65: 1 D James 85:33
M70: 1 D Gibson 91:04

Women W40: 1 T Barlow (TVH) 76:05; 2 L Flynn (Les C) 78:23
W50: 1 V Ratcliffe (T Bath) 87:04
W55: 1 N Jukes 92:52
W65: 1 A Mair (Les C) 86:09

EVERTON HALF-MARATHON, Liverpool, Merseyside, October 4

Overall: 1 E Smales (Roth) 30:41
M55: 1 C Toyne 34:54
Women: 1 M Savill 38:23

LINCOLN HALF-MARATHON, October 4

Overall: 1 T Straw (Linc W) 70:32
M60: 1 M Dillon 86:34
Women: 1 C Knowles (Abbey) 77:38
W50: 1 A Spencer (Valley St) 91:03

POTTERS' ARF HALF-MARATHON, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, October 4

Overall: 1 C Gidlow (Stoke, M45) 69:34; 2 A Miles (Vale R) 71:12
M55: 1 A Mayers (S Chesh) 80:39
Women: 1 E Taylor (Stoke) 81:44
W50: 1 C Beddow 95:05

ROTHERBY 8, Leicestershire, October 4

Overall: 1 A Quigley (W End, M50) 43:54; 2 M Sam (Poplar) 44:31
M50: 2 C Horton (Badgers) 45:47
M55: 1 C Critchlow (Beau) 47:41
M60: 1 D Pearce (Roadhoggs) 49:54
Women: 1 A Cook (Beau) 51:14
W55: 1 N Nealon (Hunc) 53:24

RUN KENT TONBRIDGE HALF-MARATHON, October 4

Overall: 1 T Lockhart (Ton) 73:32; 2 B Shearer (Ton, M50) 74:42
Women: 1 E Owen (Ton, W45) 81:28
W45: 2 H Gaunt (Ton) 82:29

SITTINGBOURNE 10, Kent, October 4

Overall: 1 F Kavanagh (Sitt) 61:17

SHARPNESS 4, Gloucestershire, October 4

Overall: 1 R Farley (Avon T) 21:32
M50: 1 A Bailey (W Tempo) 22:53
M55: 1 R Cutler (Stroud) 23:29
M60: 1 J Mower (W Tempo) 24:42
Women: 1 A Tredgett (Severn) 22:22
W45: 1 K Jacobs (Ciren) 24:40
W55: 1 F Maycock (W Tempo) 27:04

SOUTHEND CLASSIC 10km, Essex, October 4

Overall: 1 A Hickey (S'end) 30:28
Women: 1 C Brooks 36:09
W45: 1 L Colman 38:17

STANDALONE 10km, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, October 4

Overall: 1 T Chandler (AFD) 31:06; 2 M Waddington (Ware) 31:33
M60: 1 A Leach (NHRR) 34:49
Women: 1 F Weddell (St Alb) 35:52

STANDARD CHARTERED JERSEY MARATHON, St Helier, October 4

Overall: 1 S Kimutai 2:19:56; 2 O Garrod (Belg) 2:31:25; 3 G Kiptoo (KEN, W) 2:35:57
Women: 1 Kiptoo 2:35:57

DORNEY LAKES HALF-MARATHON, Buckinghamshire, October 3

Overall: 1 U Altan 68:48; 2 M Dickinson (Clap) 69:37

KINGSTON HALF-MARATHON, Surrey, October 3

Overall: 1 J Ewing (Knt) 69:35; 2 G Wright (Fleet) 70:07
Women: 1 G Reynolds (W40) 78:54
W50: 1 Z Birchenough (Strag) 89:00
W55: 1 J Perry (Crow) 1:40:30
W65: 1 J Girling (Clap) 1:42:42

VICTORIA PARK HALF-MARATHON, London, October 3

Overall: 1 J Mears (S'oaks) 33:14
Women: 1 G Kersey (Bas) 36:18

SRI CHINMOY 5km, Kangaroo Hop, Battersea Park, London, September 29

Overall: 1 C Palfreyman (VP&TH) 16:48
M55: 1 T Booth (G&G) 17:24
M60: 1 N Urquia (Herne H) 18:36
M70: 1 P Sanderson (G&G) 21:47
Women: 1 M Bryan (VP&TH) 16:45
W50: 1 A Braham (Ealing E) 17:07; 2 A Farrell (Tun W) 19:412; 3 H Rochester (Ealing E) 20:06
W60: 1 P Major (S Lon) 22:36
W75: 1 R Tabor (Dulw R) 27:34