Record half marathon hopes for dad living with MS

A father-of-two is waiting for confirmation that he has broken a Guinness World Record after completing a half marathon despite living with multiple sclerosis.

At the ASICS Manchester Half Marathon, which took place earlier, David Price ran 13.1 miles (21km) in one hour, 30 minutes and 30 seconds as a record 23,000 people took part in the event.

The Liverpool runner is confident he has beaten the previous mark, held by Chris White, by 16 seconds after setting himself the challenge of becoming the fastest man with the condition to complete the distance.

Price said: "I can stand here today absolutely ecstatic that I managed to beat it."

Leading up to the race Price had said he wanted to attempt the world record to show others that setting high goals was possible.

Describing crossing the finish line he said it was an "absolutely amazing" feeling after months of training and uncertainty over whether he could run fast enough to break the record.

The 42-year-old said he knew the attempt would be close and spent much of the race checking off target times he had written on his arm for different stages of the course.

"The last five, seven, eight kilometres were, wow, what a challenge," he said.

"I was just checking them off one kilometre by one kilometre. I gave it my all and I managed to get over the line."

Price, who works as an IT director, said consistency had been key to his preparation, with three runs a week alongside support from a running coach.

Living with MS meant there were also days when he had to adapt his training.

"There were times with multiple sclerosis when I had to say, 'today is not the day'," he said.

The runner said seeing family and friends around the course and hearing spectators shout his name helped carry him through the toughest moments.

He said the achievement was about more than a place in the record books.

"It's not about me," he said.

"This record is about everyone in the MS community.

"Life's difficult. Let's set ourselves challenging things. Go and do hard things because ultimately you'll surprise yourself."

This year's Manchester Half Marathon has grown into one of the UK's largest events over the past decade.

Among them was former Gladiators contestant Aneila Afsar, the first person to appear on the BBC show wearing a hijab.

She said the race was "really hard" but she was "really happy" with the effort and the result.

Afsar credited her friend and coach, Kaswara Shabuo, for helping her through the course.

"He wouldn't allow me just to run at a chill pace. He really pushed me all the way through it."

She also praised spectators lining the route.

"The atmosphere of Manchester is always the best," she said.

"You're never really on your own and when you're in a dark hole, you really need that crowd to push you."

Shabuo said the event showed the power of community.

"So many people, all with one aim and one target. It's amazing," he said.

He added that supporters calling out runners' names from the roadside could make a difference when participants were struggling.

Many competitors were also running for causes close to their hearts, with organisers saying about £1.5m was raised for charity through last year's event.

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