Liverpool ½ Marathon
Photos and report by Thomas Davis

YOU can hear the faint sounds envelop the runners and their last minute conversations, 15 minutes until the horn sounds and the runners start the 25th Vitality ½ marathon. The atmosphere is electric.

The inaugural vitality BTR Liverpool ½ and now including a 10 mile race, is the 1st major distance running race on the Merseyside calendar and as ever it attracted the crowds and the endeavouring runners themselves. Despite the unusual cold weather conditions we have had lately, on Sunday, 25 March 2018, it was contrary to that, with beaming sunshine and low wind. It comes as no surprise that this event is a marquee event and it bounces the season of Spring into action.

The race starts at the iconic waterfront easing out of the City towards the parks in South Liverpool. Its a heady distance for any runner, but unlike a marathon; it is an opportunist moment to achieve notoriety and achieve your personal best. Its nice to finish where you started especially when you've got a unique range of facilities and landmarks that Liverpool City boasts to greet you at the end.

A captive audience awaited the 1st of many runners to finish the course, and its always enjoyable to see the faces on the runners and the enthusiasm of those loyal competitors who just want to finish in the quickest time possible. I'll always show subtle impudence and make a point of checking what's on the front runners feet for future reference and its always interesting to see what they wear to run in, it all adds to the value of the event.

A favourite past time is to see which of the running club runners are present in the top 50 or so runners, Liverpool Harriers 1 and 2 this year with Jonny Mellor leading the way. Its always good to be on the look out for the club vests. It helps this event flourish and contributes towards the competitiveness and its history.

Yvonne Rothwell, presented the medals to the winning runners before they depart for a well earned rest. A very warm congratulations to all those runners who completed the course. See you next year! This great race heralds people into running, so its always promising to see it sells out.

Along with this spotting event, the BTR Liverpool's offer a wide range of road races, of various distances, within Merseyside area, including the the Wirral ½ Marathon and 10K event in September.  To find out more about them, visit:- BTRLiverpool.Com.

Knowsley Community College Highlighted as the Best in Liverpool for Pass Rates

THE newly published National Achievement Rate Tables has reveal that for the 2nd year running, Knowsley Community College is the 'Best Further Education College' in Liverpool, for best overall vocational pass rates.

Compiled by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, the statistics also place KCC in the top 3, of the 'Best Further Education Colleges' for pass rates within The Liverpool City Region, for School leavers aged 16 to 18.

The results highlight the continued success of students who completed a vocational qualification at Knowsley Community College in 2016 to 2017.

Gill Banks, Principal at Knowsley Community College commented on this achievement saying:- "The latest figures truly highlight the exceptional hard work and dedication provided by our teaching staff and students, to remain focused on achieving success. KCC truly is a great place to study and topping pass rate tables in the region goes to prove this."

The new figures come after KCC was identified as being in the top 5% of General Further Education College's in the country for its performance in maths following the recent release of The Market Intelligence Data Exchange Service (MiDES) English and maths Progression Report.

For more information about studying at Knowsley Community College, or to apply visit:- KnowsleyCollege.AC.UK or call:- 0151 477 5850.