Pictures: Ipswich Larking Gowen Half Marathon draws thousands of runners

Ipswich came alive today with the sights and sounds of runners pounding the streets for the Larking Gowen Ipswich Half Marathon.

One standout moment of the day featured John Thurkettle.

John collapsed with a cardiac arrest at 11 miles last year, and took on the final two miles of today’s run.

When John collapsed last year, Kevin Ward noticed that he was in distress and performed CPR immediately, along with fellow runners Ben Solway and David Smith. The runners revived John before paramedics arrived at the scene to take him to hospital.

John has since undergone surgery which he is recovering well from. He recently returned to work on a part-time basis.

John’s family said: “It’s difficult for us to put into words the importance that CPR can play when saving a loved one. To put it bluntly, without the heroic and timely actions of all involved, we wouldn’t have our dad with us now. We can never repay what they have collectively done for us.

“CPR rates in the UK lag significantly behind other developed countries; ~22% of the UK are confident enough to start CPR on a stranger vs ~73% in Norway. This plays a huge factor in the survival rates between the two countries and the difference comes down to when/if we learn CPR and how often we re-visit the training. The other key factor is the speed of the response.

“The one question I would encourage everyone to ask themselves is: if a friend or family required CPR, would you be confident in providing it? If the answer is no, please seek out training. The hope is that you will never need to rely on it, but should you need to, you’re better positioned to save a life.”

First male across the finish line was Hassan Ahdich in a time of 1:12:37. Andrew Risk took second place in 1:12:48 with Christopher Poulding coming third in 1:18:13.

Daisy Brooke was the first female home 1:26:21 followed by Hayley Magill (1:28:54) and Georgia Humphreys (1:30:05).

Tristan Batley-Kyle, Operations Director at Run For All, said: “We want to say a huge well done and thank you to all our participants who joined us today. We also want to say a huge thank you to John for joining us this morning. “John’s story shows the importance of quick-thinking, learning valuable life skills and the sense of community at these events.”

Graham Mummery, from Larking Gowen said: “Congratulations to all the inspiring runners and fundraisers, and we can't wait to see you back on the course next year!”

The event’s official sponsors include Larking Gowen, Ipswich Town Football Club, Ipswich Borough Council, Suffolk County Council, Ipswich Fit, Ipswich Jaffa Running Club, High 5, Coopah and Arla Protein, Shokz and Marathon Photos.

Entries for next year’s Larking Gowen Ipswich Half Marathon, taking place on Sunday 22nd September are now open.

Potential participants are encouraged to visit www.runfor a limited time only discounted offer.