DOZENS of Cumbrians took part in this year's Manchester Marathon - ranging from one ticking off her 164th race and another completing her first. 

Tens of thousands of runners stomped the streets of Manchester on Sunday.

The route started at Lancashire County Cricket Club in Old Trafford, briefly went into the city centre, then travelled as far as Altrincham through Stretford and Sale before looping back to near the start via Baguley, Sale Moor and Chorlton.

Former Barrow police officer Lianne Dempster, 33, ran the marathon as a tribute to her late husband Mark. The couple made national headlines in 2022 when they married at Furness General Hospital three weeks before Mark's death from bowel cancer. 

The Mail: Lianne Dempster ran the marathon in memory of her late husbandLianne Dempster ran the marathon in memory of her late husband (Image: Submitted)

She now supports the annual Mark Dempster Memorial Car Show which is a charity event at the Lakeland Motor Museum in Backbarrow and takes place in September. Lianne was not running for charity as she uses the car show to fundraise. 

Lianne said: The marathon was great but glad to be done." Shortly after Mark's death Lianne said that she wanted to run as a means of dealing with the grief while keeping fit. 

The Mail: Erin Benson ran her first marathon, but it will be by no means her last as she is taking on the K2B and a run in Leeds in one weekendErin Benson ran her first marathon, but it will be by no means her last as she is taking on the K2B and a run in Leeds in one weekend (Image: Submitted)

Barrow woman Louise Cooke, 45, completed her 164th marathon despite having an injury and only eight months after having a baby.

She said: "The race itself was really good and I enjoyed it overall. It was just annoying to not be able to fly through it."

She admitted she was going to have a few bad ones 'now and then'.

The Mail: Louise Cooke with her baby at the marathonLouise Cooke with her baby at the marathon (Image: Submitted)

On the opposite end of the scale, it was Barrovian Erin Benson's very first marathon. The 22-year-old said it was 'such a fun race' and was looking forward to soon running the Keswick to Barrow and a marathon in Leeds the following day for St Mary's Hospice. This equates to a total of 66.2 miles over the weekend of 11-12 May.

"I ran this one just for fun as a bit of a warm up run. I'm just getting the training miles in currently," she said. 

Briony Jade, 29, from Ulverston, also ran her first marathon in Manchester and raised £532.50 which will be split between British Heart Foundation and Kidney Research UK. She said: "It was a really good day. I didn't know what to expect but I really enjoyed it."

The Mail: Louise Cooke with a medal after her 164th marathonLouise Cooke with a medal after her 164th marathon (Image: Submitted)

This year's race was not Melissa Caine's first rodeo. The Walney Wind Cheetahs runner said: "I did better than last year and knocked four minutes and two seconds off my time." She did the run with some friends from the club, which is based in Vickerstown. 

Jamie Tweddell, from Dalton, said: "It was really good - painful but really enjoyed it." 

The Mail: Briony Jade with her medal at the finish lineBriony Jade with her medal at the finish line (Image: Submitted)

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Like many marathons, the race also involved professional athletes, who set off first. Adam Clarke was the men's winner, setting a time of 2:16:29. Charlie Arnell came first for the women, with a time of 2:37:14, and wheelchair athlete Brett Crossely set a time of 1:50:35. 

Manchester Marathon is the fourth largest in Europe, and claims to be the UK's flattest which allows for many participants to set their personal best.