Marathon marvel Mary enjoys Beachy Head success at 70

Special mention goes to Mary Austin-Olsen. Mary, one of the longest serving members of Run Wednesdays, celebrated her 70th birthday whilst running the marathon distance.

Later that day, there was a double celebration for Mary on hearing she was the fastest placed runner within her age category.

Mary shared, “I ran my first marathon five days after my 60th birthday. This year, on 21st October 2023, I ran my seventh Beachy Head marathon. I was supported by my wonderful Running Club, Run Wednesdays, that made the day so much fun and very, very special.

"Beachy Head is such an amazing event, so well organised and with brilliant marshals. The race is really well supported and has spectacular scenery. The weather conditions can be a bit challenging, especially this year, but that really does not detract from such a great event!”

Other runners noted by Club Chairman, Danny Garbett, include Claire Shimmers for her completion of the marathon distance, Stephanie Marson and Sam Ramsden for their 10k race and Nicole Davie who recently returned to the club and completed the half marathon distance.

Chris Yeomanson also celebrated the Beach Head double challenge, running the Beachy Head Ultra Marathon (the 52k distance) on the Saturday followed by the half marathon distance on the Sunday. Chris even managed to take 3 minutes off of his previous Beachy Head Ultra Marathon distance from 2022!

The Beachy Head Marathon Weekend was made even more special by members of Run Wednesdays supporting on route and acting as volunteers throughout the weekend.

If you are interested in starting running as part of your daily exercise regime, maybe even working towards running a Beachy Head Marathon Weekend event, and would like to some friendly support and advice check out the Run Wednesdays Facebook and pages.