A Gateacre man was crowned the male winner of the Liverpool Half Marathon.
Ian Lawton, 41, completed the race around the city earlier today, determined to better his time from previous years.
Crossing the finish line after 13.1 miles in 1:07:28, he told the ECHO: "I've raced this race a couple of times over the years but I've not been as fit as I am now. I'm 41 years old and probably in the best shape I've ever been in."
READ MORE: Liverpool Half Marathon 2023 LIVE: Road closures, route and photos
Ian added that he was "delighted" to win.
He said: "I've got all my family out, all my friends. Everyone knew I was doing it and everyone knew I was quite nervous because I wanted to do well.
"People were telling me at the start 'this is your day today, you're going to win'. That adds a little bit of pressure.
"One of my friends was here who's got a quicker time than me so I knew it was going to be close. I was absolutely delighted to come around the last 100 metres."
Speaking about running in his home city, Ian said: "It's brilliant. I've got friends I train with on the bike and running and they're all over the course.
"Friends at different spots on the bike shouting you on - it's phenomenal. You see people you haven't seen for years, like school friends. Sometimes you wish you could stop and chat but you can't.
"I do a lot of triathlons. Running is my love, it's what I've always done since I was a kid."
Thousands gathered at the Pier Head this morning to complete the race or support loved ones taking part. People travelled from all over the UK and beyond, with runners from the Isle of Man, Cheltenham and Norway crossing the finish line.
Caroline Brenchley was the female winner of the half marathon with a time of 1:17:49. In the race's overall results, Corrin Leeming came second, followed by Matthew Crehan in third.
Stephen Cambpell from the Liverpool Harriers running club won the ten miler with the time of 54:40, while Sarah Carroll from the Salford Harriers was the female ten miler winner with a time of 1:05:01.
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